Sage Advice

Michael S. Davis, Editor

I am specifically looking for people to write questions for me to answer, but for the first issue I will answer some questions that need to be asked forthright:

“I am a basically good person, won’t I go to heaven?  What does it take to be qualified for heaven?  I thought simply believing in God was enough to get into heaven, isn’t it true?”

Let me try to lie to rest a common misconception of “judgment day.”  Many people are under the impression that when they die God will bring out a pair of scales/balances.  He will weigh all of the good you have done in your lifetime against all of the bad you have committed.  They only hope that they have done enough good deeds, for they do not want to even consider the alternative.  This is not the case though.  When you die, God will weigh your good deeds against His righteousness.  Our “good” must equal His righteousness or we will be seen as enemies of God for not obeying His command: “Ye shall be holy; for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44).”  Furthermore, it is written, “There is none good but one, that is, God (Matthew 19:17).”  Thus, the claim to be “basically good” is “basically false.”

We cannot get to heaven by our own merits…we need help.  We cannot qualify ourselves for heaven, but God can qualify us.  Our righteousness alone is comparable to filth (with all of the connotations you can envision).  Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven “you must be born again (John 3:3,5).”  [Note: To be “born again” is not to become fanatical or crazed, it simply means to be given a “new life.”]  Simply put, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  Saved from what?  You will be saved from the sin in your life that would cause the scales/balances to tip in the direction of eternal death/torment.  Jesus, the God-man, lived a perfect, sinless life.  In so doing, his righteousness matched God the Father’s righteousness.  Christ’s righteousness can be imputed (attributed) to us and can replace our own.  If you can acknowledge that you are a sinner worthy of death, if you believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins (in your place taking your punishment), and if you have a strong desire to repent from your sins and turn toward a godly life; then Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to you.  [If you do take these things to heart, pray to God about them and contact me, I would like to share in your new life with Christ.]  Then when judgment day comes, your works will be tossed in the gutter and Jesus’ righteousness will be placed in the balance instead.  You will then be escorted into eternal glory.

Simply, believing in God is not enough to qualify for heaven.  Satan believes that God exists, but he is far from glory.  Adolph Hitler believed in a god, but it is unlikely that he is in heaven.  Many people make the claim, “I believe in God.”  My honest question to that assertion is, “Do you believe God? Do you take Him at His word?”  If so, then do you not want to be familiar with His word?  Undoubtedly.  If you are familiar with His word (Holy Scriptures), then you know that it is written, “Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).”  What this means is that if your belief in God or your belief of God does not result in repentance and a life change, then your “belief” is not genuine.  Jesus said that in the end many would come to Him saying to the Lord (friend), “…but I will say to them depart…for I never knew you (Luke 13:25-27).”