Good morning. I was reading an article recently about an interview with a prominent politician. This is a politician that I admire, for the most part. But I have considered contacting him to clear up a serious misunderstanding that he seems to have.
When asked if he considers himself “a good person” the politician replied, “Well I certainly believe in heaven and in hell, and I am not sure that I have earned my spot in heaven, but I am definitely trying not to prove worthy of a spot in hell.”
I am not sure if his response answered the question about being a good person, but it certainly reveals a misunderstanding about heaven. I would like to let him know the truth of the matter. There is nothing, and I do mean nothing that he could do, or that I could do, or that you could do, that would earn a place in heaven. Thank God.
Let’s face it, if the question of heaven was to be determined by what we have earned we are all in serious trouble.
The apostle Paul answered what must have been similar questions among the Galatians by explaining to them the meaning of grace. He wrote in Galatians 2:16 We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
The idea of being justified (made right before God) through adherence to the Law of Moses is clearly put to rest by Paul. This corresponds to our modern thinking of somehow doing enough to earn our righteousness. Earning righteousness is impossible. Gaining righteousness is absolutely possible, but only through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to become sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God knows about sin, even about our sin, yours and mine. God loves us anyway. God has always made it clear that sin, being a disruption of His holiness, must be paid for in order for the sinner to be reclaimed. God is holy, and He is holy without exception. God insists that all who would come before HIm must be holy as He is holy. How can our God who clearly knows all about sin, and yet continues to faithfully love the sinner, make peace to reconcile our sinfulness and His holiness?
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:20
It is not up to us to earn a place in heaven, in fact the very idea is a lie from our enemy. Praise God that we needn’t worry about such a lie, for our righteousness is in Jesus.