How
Can I Go to Heaven?
WHAT
DO YOU THINK?
Ever
wonder how you can know
that you can go to Heaven when life's journey is over? Do you ever
think about how good you would have to be to enter God's Heaven? Does
this thought ever cross your mind, “Have I done enough good?” Or,
perhaps your thinking goes something like this, “I'm such a bad
person. If God knows all I've done, I don't have a chance!” On the
other hand, you may confidently say, “I'm a pretty good person, God
will let me in already. No problem!” Now, just wait a sec! Don't
you think we should see what God the owner of Heaven has to say?
Let's take a look...
To
begin with,
God
says,
“Enter
by the narrow gate.
For
the gate is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction,
and
those who enter by it are many.
For
the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life,
and
those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13-14
HOW
GOOD DO I HAVE TO BE TO GET IN?
So
then, to begin with, God says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but
fails in one point
has become accountable for all of it.”
(James 2:10) In plain words, just like committing a theft, would make
you a criminal. So violating even just one of God's rules, would make
you a sinner by practice! The Bible is very straightforward, “All
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That
is, all have fallen short of God's 100% holy standard by their sin.
You see, God does not compare our holiness with other people – He
compares us with Himself! The Bible also says, “None is righteous,
no, not one.” (Romans 3:10b) Neither is that by any means all that
our Creator-God has to say as to this! He also says, “We are all as
an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags.”
(**Isaiah 64:6) Indeed, God has made His point, we are all sinners
and totally helpless to save ourselves! For even the good we try to
do, is seen by God as “filthy rags”!
Search
as we might, there is not a single place in the Holy Bible that even
eludes to the thinking that our good could outweigh the bad we've
done. No, the reality is that sin
always has consequences! Indeed,
“The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
You
see, there was a group of people, known as the Pharisees who were
Israelites. These were a sect from 515 bce to 70 ce. This was a group
of people that tried to the best of human ability to obey God's laws.
They did their utmost to do right and keep from doing wrong. This is
well brought out in these verses, “He [Jesus] also told this
parable to some who trusted
in themselves that they were righteous...:
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus:
'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I
give tithes of all that I get.'” (Luke 18:9-12) Do you see how this
person was relying on themselves in order to be acceptable before
God? Yet, there was another man also praying. Of him we read, “But
the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a
sinner!'” What verdict does Jesus Christ bring down here? He says,
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than
the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the
one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14) We see
then, that the first man, spoke to God of how good he was. Yet, the
second, did the very opposite. We notice then, that it was the one
who thought he was good, that was not “justified,” that is
cleared of his guilt. Rather, it was the second who acknowledged his
guilt, that God “justified.”
AM I TOO BAD
TO GET IN?
Yet,
perhaps, you think, “No, I'm just way too bad a person. You have no
idea what I've all done!” Ah, maybe I don't, but God does! For we
read, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked
and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”
(Hebrews 4:13) Look, God who knows all things, including you. Yet,
God says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.” (Romans 10:13) Are you included in the “everyone”? Of
course! Then you are not too bad a sinner. In fact, it was exactly
for such as you that Jesus came. For it is written, “Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners...” Not only that, but Paul the
apostle who penned those words, ended that sentence by saying, “...of
whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15) I ask then, are you a
“sinner”? Well, then Jesus Christ came to save you!
“The
Sacrifices of a broken spirit;
a
broken and contrite heart,
O
God,
you
will not despise.”
Psalm
51:17
HOW
CAN I GET IN?
We
saw then, that our own “righteousness” will not help us get into
Heaven. However, we also saw that no “sinner” is too bad, not be
eligible for God to save them. Further, we saw, that one must
approach God with the right “heart attitude.” We must come
humbly, with a “contrite heart.” We can never boast to God about
our righteousness. No. Rather, we must acknowledge that we are indeed
sinners. Yet, just how are we to be saved? Let's see...
To
start with, we read, “God shows his love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Maybe you
wonder how one could save you by dying? Well, it is important to
understand that, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6;23) This
“death” speaks of separation from God. We deserved to be
separated from God for time and eternity for our sin. For it is our
sin that separated us from the holy God. That is why, God in His
great mercy, sent Jesus to die on the cross. There He died
physically, but there was also a separation from His Father. For we
read, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)
Ah, it was our sin, that caused this separation!
Understand
then, that it was our sin that was heaped upon Jesus Christ as He
hung on that dreadful cross! For it is written, “The LORD laid on
him [Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) All your
sin, was laid on Christ, and He took the full wrath of God for your
every sin. That is how Jesus Christ is able to save you! He took the
death you should have taken. He took all the punishment, all the
consequences for your sin, so that you could go free. Again, it is
written, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21) You see, it was an incredible transaction.
All your sin-debt was taken by Christ and He paid it in full by His
death, for such is the consequence of sin. However, in turn, Jesus
Christ credited His righteousness to your account. Simply amazing!
WHO OR WHAT
ARE YOU TRUSTING IN?
So,
if Jesus paid everyone's sin-debt, are all saved? No. Why? We must
trust Him as our very own Saviour. We must believe, that He did this
for even me! That is why we read, “For by grace [His favour] you
have been saved through
faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the
gift of God,
not a result of works, so that on one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
So
then, we can never better ourselves, and hope to get into Heaven by
our “own doing.” No, only God has the remedy for our sin. We
could not pay its price – death. That is why God the Father sent
His Son, Jesus Christ to pay our sin-debt on the cross. That is why
he died. It was the only remedy for us. Jesus Himself, took the
consequence for our sin!
This
is why so many miss the “narrow gate” that “leads to life.”
So many people think that by their good, they can enter Heaven, but
they are sadly mistaken. Oh yes, the “wide” road is “easy”!
One can live like they please, but sin's consequences one will have
to pay themselves, which is an eternity in Hell. How much better, to
take the “hard” road that lead to “life,” and spend eternity
in the bliss of Heaven!
MY CHOICE
What
will be your choice? What will you do with the Jesus who died to pay
the price for your sins? Which path will you take?
“In
this was manifested the love of God
toward
us,
because
God sent his only begotten Son
into
the world,
that
we
might
live through him.
Herein
is love,
not
that we loved God,
but
that he loved
us,
and
sent his Son to be
the
propitiation [satisfaction] for
our
sins.”
**1
John 4:9-10
Victor
J. Reimer
*Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV),
copyrighted © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
**KJV
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