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| Section: Walking In The Faith |
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| Category: Biblical Teaching / Lesson |
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| HEAVEN OR HELL? |
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Listening to a well-known talk show host today on the way home from work, he mentioned that his uncle had just died and he hoped he was in heaven. I wanted to call him and ask: did this also suggest that he could just as well be in hell?
Many if not most people on this planet do not embrace the biblical position regarding heaven and how we get there. Anything from “there can’t be just one way” to “they were good people and deserved to go to heaven” is what you hear regarding the recently departed loved ones. They employ the “scales of justice” theory, hoping their good works outweighed the bad, thus meriting entrance to heaven (and by implication deliverance from hell). Ask anyone and most will tell you that, unless the person was a Hitler (or someone like him), all should make it into heaven because, after all “a loving God would never send anyone to hell”! That is the creed of every religion except true Christianity. In the bible, Jesus says He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). People genuinely care that their loved ones not suffer anymore and the promise of heaven is the ultimate that one can hope for; but is this enough?
The bible says “Hope that is seen is not hope” (Romans 8:24, 25). This is exactly the kind of hope the world hopes for. They often demand something tangible to pin their hope on. But read the rest of this passage; true hope is the hope exercised by faith in what the bible says regarding heaven; and that hope is unseen. Think about it: salvation is the first thing we receive and the last thing to be manifested! We literally have to depart from this world to see the salvation of our souls!!
I love the word redeemed. Anyone who has ever saved S & H green stamps, clipped coupons or sent in for a rebate knows what redemption is. To have something redeemed, though, there must be something to be redeemed and someone to redeem it. This concept is not too hard to grasp. Apply this concept to the hope of going to heaven and you see how this principle can be used. But, according to the bible, hope alone isn’t sufficient. As believers, we must receive Jesus as our Redeemer; and, in so doing, He provides the redemption and also redeems the “something” to be redeemed: us. Talk about amazing grace!!
I remember an individual relating a dream he had. He was nervously waiting in line for entrance to heaven. There ahead of him was Jesus talking to mother Teresa. As he drew near, he could hear Jesus saying to her “you know, you could have done a little more” at which he woke up in a sweat. True Christians should never worry that this will happen to them. We have the confidence in the resurrection and victory over death and the grave through Jesus. He paid the ultimate price for all who will receive this by faith. Heaven is ours, not because of our works, but because of His mercy (Titus 3:5). All others “hope”, whereas we “know”! Bottom line, only true believers in the bible understand the seriousness of where we go when we die. And there is the rub: how to relate this to those around us, like the talk show host, in love?
It seems to me that the only true answer is in letting the Holy Spirit do the work. And in that we can place our hope. Jesus’ victory over the grave and death itself is what no one else could do. Believers down through history have seen this with the eyes of faith. Ultimately, Jesus tipped the “scales of justice” unconditionally in our favor; then, offered it freely to all who would receive it, delivering us from the place that those who can only hope of going to heaven are fearful of ending up: HELL. (John 3:36) |
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| Date of Submission: 2007-07-13 06:07:44 |
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