That was the question a frustrated relative posed during a faith discussion at a social event. The question was aimed at me because I was the only person at the event who followed Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) and the topic was getting to Heaven.
Just be good and you’ll be welcomed inside the pearly gates, right? As far as I can tell, that’s the point of view held by most people in our culture.
So why isn’t it true? Well, consider this: the residents of Walkerton, Ontario — a small town in central Canada — thought their water supply was good. You could pour a glass, hold it up to the light and it looked perfectly fine to drink.
But it wasn’t. In 2000, many residents began to experience bloody diarrhea and infections. Local officials insisted the water was drinkable, until the skyrocketing number of contamination cases caused the region’s medical officer of health to issue a “boil water advisory”.
It turns out the water was infected with deadly E.coli bacteria and by the time the crisis ended, 2,500 people (half the town’s population) became ill and seven died.
This may seem like an extreme case to you, but trust me, there isn’t a particle of water on this planet that is absolutely pure. No matter how clear and clean it appears.
And that’s the case with human beings. No matter how good some of us seem to be, no matter how generous, no matter how well-adjusted, every one of us has defects.
Looking for evidence? Consider this excerpt from a letter written by one of the ancient Jesus followers: “All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness.” Sadly, nothing has changed since those words were written about 2,000 years ago and that’s why you can’t “just be good” and get into Heaven.
But there is a solution. Most Jesus followers believe what the ancient prophets wrote and they claimed God did something about our inability to become truly good. He gave us the gift of Jesus.
Here’s what Jesus did:
- He lived with us;
- He taught us who God is and how we can welcome Him into our lives;
- He allowed government authorities to put him to death, so that ALL the wrongs committed by anyone who believes in Him and follows Him would be paid for and wiped out of existence;
- He came back to life to defeat the power of death, prove He is the Son of God and provide a way for all humanity to live with Him forever in Heaven.
I see this as incredibly good news. How about you? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
It’s the best news! And, certainly, none of us can ever, ever be good enough on our own. We need our Lord and Savior in order to be in true relationship with God.
Sadly, so many people today think being “good” is enough . . .
Blessings, Frank!
Thanks, as always, for contributing, Martha. 🙂
Maybe the question should not so much be “how do we get to live in Heaven” as much as “how do we bring the life of of Heaven to. Earth”?
“Being good” can be a deceptive trap. Has anyone considered that when Jesus tUght us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”, he had in mind the human penchant for doing a lot of mean and hateful things in the name of God?
Ross in KC
Great point, Ross. Glad you read and added your comment! 🙂
I’m reminded of Isaiah 64:6: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
What an awesome Savior we have, who paid our sins’ death penalty!
Indeed! Thank you, K.D., for reading and contributing. 🙂
That scarlet thread of sin. Much like a single white hair on a red heifer, impure and unfit. God is called an all-consuming fire, no one comes into His presence with a single blemish of sin. The imputation of Christ’s obedience and righteousness to us is our only hope.
But, how simple it is to obtain this gift. How humbling it is to know just how fortunate we are that we don’t receive our just dues as defined by our own righteousness.
What’s sad is how many Christians don’t fully realize this and struggle, or misplace their faith.
You have a nice blog Frank, I appreciate your observations and clear illustrations of perspective. Most of all I appreciate your humility, which I believe is why you attract the odd atheist to your blog. It’s refreshing and very much reflective of the character of Christ.
Blessings!
Oh man, you’re gonna give me a swelled head! 🙂 Thanks for reading and for your very kind words. I’m thankful for 26 years in the world of print journalism, which gave me the basics on how to write what I hope is compelling text.
I always enjoy reading your blog Frank, even if I don’t always comment. This one was certainly a great topic.
Being good to some people means not joining your friends in debauchery. Being good to others means praying for seven hours a day. What is good? I don’t know, but I try to be good.
People who don’t think about it probably consider themselves good ‘enough’ to not intimidate others, but not perfect, so there is comfort in what is considered normalcy when it is the norm.
Recently I was upset with someone and was advised to ‘always act out of love.’ This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that I should be upset. Acting out of love was not easy, but was certainly the right thing to do and made me feel better. Following the good advice and examples of the bible involves thinking. It’s easier to just act, react and not take time to respond or act out of love.
Will people just be ‘good’ without effort? I am not sure. It is good news that with the internet, we have opportunities to discuss such topics with you and others. Thank you for planting seeds into our consciousness so we can expand and grow a little.
In the day-to-day effort, everyone seeks an answer to their needs,… Jesus came to give us life in abundance, not on this earth, but in heaven, when humanity understands this reality well, we will stop drinking water without flavour…