As I look back through the years, I have run across many people who think they are going to heaven. Clearly, that’s a good thing. But when asked why they are going to heaven, I usually get one of two answers. The first is, “Well, I’m a good person!” And second most common answer is, “I have been baptized!”
While I understand that people think being a good person is important, and one could certainly argue that being baptized is also a good thing, the truth of the matter is that accepting Christ as Lord and Savior is the thing that gets you eternal life with God and undeniably bound for heaven. Doing good deeds is what believers should do in response to the love they feel for Christ after their profession of faith.
Baptism is also an act of obedience, at least in most denominations. While there are different belief systems regarding whether being baptized is required for salvation, many denominations believe that believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior is the sole requirement for getting into heaven. That acceptance does not require anything else to assure eternal life.
I know that it seems pretty simple to realize that accepting the free gift of eternal life is the only way to get to heaven. Jesus clearly tells us that “no one comes to the Father except through me.” So once somebody understands the basics of theology, it’s easy to believe that you can be heaven bound. By the way, your eternal life doesn’t start when you die – it starts the moment that you accept Jesus. So believers are already living our eternal lives.
The purpose of the post tonight is to approach something that I heard last week that I found deeply disturbing. The pastor in me was quite saddened by President Trump’s comments that he didn’t believe that he was good enough to get into heaven. In fact, he went on to make sure that the press really understood his thoughts. He also went so far as to say that maybe heaven for him was flying on Air Force One, at least according to the news reports I had access to.
At first I was saddened, but then I admit I got a little angry. President Trump professes that he is a Christian and the evangelical wing of the country has embraced him as one of their own. Yet, maybe Franklin Graham, or one of the many other notable pastors of our country, could spend a little time with the President and truly lead him to Christ. Please understand that this is not a political post. I don’t care what side of the aisle you support, or how you vote. This is a much bigger issue than that! We are talking about someone’s eternal security – a person who says that they aren’t good enough to get into heaven. Frankly, that’s the point – none of us are worthy to get into heaven. That’s why Jesus died for us.
I even remember, as a much younger person, how I thought being a good person was the path to heaven. But that just isn’t the case. Now there is one thing that can keep people from eternal salvation. We are told that blaspheming the Holy Spirit disqualifies a person from salvation. This gets to be a slippery slope.
The topic of forgiveness can be a little complicated. Why is blasphemy of the Spirit so bad? Well, many theologians believe that God the Father was the architect of the plan to offer salvation and reunite people with Him after the Fall in the Garden of Eden. Jesus, His death on the cross and substitutionary blood atonement, became the path to forgiveness. So those acts have been completed, but many believe that the actual act of forgiveness is delivered by the Holy Spirit. So, if someone blasphemes the Holy Spirit, there is nowhere else to turn. Clearly, there are other points of view as well, but from time to time, I get asked about this one unpardonable sin.
While I know that there are many people in the country who don’t care if our president is heaven bound or not, I have a strong believe that every person has a right to know what the requirement is to attain eternal life. As Christians, it is our responsibility to make sure that we spread the Good News and that we promote salvation every chance we have. But we must also realize that we have free will – we can decline the offer.
So, assuming that a person has not rejected the Holy Spirit, with intent, everyone has the opportunity to accept the free gift of eternal life. Our verse for tonight is the most foundational verse in the entire Scripture. John, in his Gospel, tells us, in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him shall never die, but have eternal life. “
This verse says it all. And as famous as it is, many people just don’t believe that it as simple as that. But it is! My encouragement this evening is that God wants us, as believers, to spread the Good News of Jesus and help as many folks get to heaven as we can. My prayer is that somehow we can be more effective in preaching the fact that a belief in Jesus is the only requirement to have eternal life. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…