Who Gets into Heaven?

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  John 14:15

What does it take to be a follower of Christ?  What does it mean to love Him?  Is it enough to be a good person?  To attend church on a somewhat regular basis?  To tell people you are a Christian?  If you have made a profession of your faith at some point in your life, can you then live as you please and expect to be forgiven?

I see many claims in the media, made by people themselves or others on their behalf, that a certain public figure…politician, celebrity, sports standout…is a Christian.  Do we then have a right to certain expectations?  It is not unusual after hearing such a claim to find out that the person is not really living in keeping with Christ’s commandments.

I understand that we are not to judge lest we also be judged, but I also understand that we are to recognize those who are Christ followers by “their fruits.”

One of the things that discourages me in this regard is learning that a “Christian” is living openly with their boyfriend or girlfriend as though this is totally acceptable.  I will grant you that it is acceptable to our society, but the Bible is pretty clear in its condemnation of this type of behavior.  Sexual sin is pervasive in our culture to the point where it is the norm.  However, it is a cancer that can destroy a person from within.  It is not something that harms only the person who is engaging in such conduct.  It harms those they love and who love them.

Too often sexual sin is shrugged off, because the person has “a good heart.”  They exhibit compassion toward the less fortunate.  They are philanthropic.  They give money to food banks or build houses or promote legislation meant to help the poor.  I’m sorry, but we don’t get to heaven on our “good works.”  We only get there through our understanding that we are sinners in need of a Savior.  If we truly understand that, we will love Him and want to keep His commandments.  In Matthew 15:19, Christ himself mentions sexual sins (adultery, fornication) as defiling a person.  I cannot reconcile openly flaunting Christ’s directive with being a Christian.  If we are caught up in such a sin, there is, of course, forgiveness available to us, but we need to repent…which means forsaking the sin.  In other words, stop what you are doing!

King David was a prime example of someone who seemed to love God whole-heartedly, but who fell into sexual sin.  He not only took another man’s wife, but then when he didn’t manage to pass off her pregnancy as a result of the marriage, he arranged for the man to be killed.  However, unlike the situations I’m thinking of today, David was totally repentant when confronted.  He did not shrug off his sin as part of the cultural norm.

I have seen the argument that some who claim to be Christians and legalistically adhere to rules of conduct are much less Christian in their actions than others whose morals are a bit loose.  Here’s the problem….this is not an either/or situation.  It is a both/and.  We cannot earn our way into a relationship with God.  We must acknowledge our sin and accept Christ’s sacrifice, BUT once we have done that our lives should demonstrate that we are in a relationship with God Himself.  All those “good works” should be evident in our lives in addition to the gospel we proclaim.

I am grateful that I do not have to make any decisions as to who will enter heaven and who will not.  But the divine judge has stated:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  Matthew 7:21-23

So, who gets into heaven?

*the star football player who is philanthropic but lives with a girlfriend

*the politician who claims to be compassionate, but supports abortion

*the well-know evangelist who turns out to have been a sexual predator

*the celebrity who has lived promiscuously, but says her bedtime prayers

*the pastor who sneaks a peek at porn whenever he gets a chance

*all of the above

*none of the above

Someone a whole lot wiser than I am will decide.

Who forms the human spirit?

 The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person….  Zechariah 12:1

What an interesting introduction to the rest of the chapter.  What an interesting sentence which seems to equate the importance of forming the human spirit within a person with things as monumental as laying the foundation of the earth and stretching out the heavens.

If this is true, and I believe it is, then we must value the spirit within every person.  God has created each of us uniquely for his purpose.  He has instilled in each of us the qualities He intends to use for His purpose and His glory.  We cannot belittle any human being.  We must value those who are innately meek and gentle and those who are fiercely full of energy.  He has a place for both in His kingdom.  Those with high energy must not look down on those who are quiet.  Those who are slow to both speak and act must not judge those who are quick-witted and willing to charge ahead. 

Whatever the human spirit within us, it is best expressed when yielded to the creator who formed it.  I have thought about this recently in relation to the different personalities of my grandchildren.  Among them are the gentle and also those full of fire.  They do not all have to be alike in order to be of great value.

Nor do I have to be like every other believer.  I fully understand that personality characteristics can be “flaws.”  We should not be excusing the worst of ourselves.  But, even what is viewed as the worst may indicate something God has built into us which can be sanctified for His use.  What comes across as being a “spitfire” may if consecrated to God be zeal for Him and His kingdom.  What comes across as reticence may be a willingness to stand back and pray for those who act.

What an amazing thought.  The one who has the power and wisdom to create the universe also fashions the spirit within us as individuals.  I stand in awe of an all powerful and yet personal God.

How arrogant and misguided is the view of the humanist who thinks the “human spirit” somehow came from somewhere.

Light Will Come

 Long before its appearance,

There are hints of the coming glory.

Streaks of color creep around

The fringes of the earth’s orb.

 

The horizon at the ocean’s edge

Turns orange and pink and purple.

The palette of colors blending uniquely

With the dawn of each new day.

 

Then a pinpoint of vivid color

Overpowers the pastels.

I am amazed by how quickly

It silently rises and grows.

 

Sunrise in all its glory.

Too bright for human eyes.

A radiance too powerful,

A searing, piercing light.

 

There are hints of the coming glory,

The dawn of a new day is approaching,

And we will all be amazed by

A radiance too powerful for human eye.

 

A searing, piercing Light will come.

Uncared for...

I am increasingly troubled by bad things that happen to children.  When I hear news on television or see an internet article about a child being mistreated, it feels like a wave of nausea or a stab in my abdomen.  Recently I read of an eleven year-old boy chained in a barrel, because he was too much trouble for his father and stepmother.  It sounds as though he is either mentally ill or intellectually disabled, but that is not an excuse.  There is no telling from the article if his level of functioning is a cause of his abuse or an effect of prolonged abuse or a vicious circle.

I saw this type of treatment firsthand once.  I spent six weeks of nursing school at Cook County TB Sanitarium.  I don’t remember why the young patient I am going to describe was there.  I don’t remember whether she had a positive TB test or perhaps a fever of unknown origin.  In any event she was about 12 years old and had never been cared for in an appropriate manner. We were told she had been kept locked up with food just shoved in the door to her.  She was more like an animal than a human.  She did not speak.  Her hair had not been cared for in years and was long and terribly tangled and matted together.  She did not know how to use eating utensils.  She was in a private room in isolation, and one evening I was assigned to care for her.

I have no clear recollection of what I did for her that evening about 55 years ago.  I don’t remember if I fed her or tried to comb her hair or changed her clothes.  All I remember is that I had my back turned to her when I was suddenly in pain.  She came up behind me and bit me on the shoulder….hard.  I was wearing an isolation gown, which would have been 2 layers of heavy fabric, over my student uniform which was heavy tightly woven cotton with a pinafore over it.  She bit through at least 4 layers of heavy fabric, and when I undressed that night, I saw the imprint of her teeth in distinct blue marks on my shoulder.  Minus all that fabric, I’m sure she would have broken the skin.

I don’t know what became of her.  I suppose she was institutionalized after her medical situation was diagnosed and treated.  I don’t know if it ever was safe for one to turn his/her back to her.  I hadn’t been warned, and I have no idea what triggered her aggression.  I do know it saddened me to see a child that age so deprived of love and human contact.

The boy in the barrel and this girl are only two examples.  I am sure there are many around the world, and it hurts me to think of it.  Every child should be loved and tenderly cared for.

I used to hear this song on the radio in the late 60s, and I couldn’t listen to it without tears.  I know Christmas is past, but this song comes to my mind as I think of all the children in the world who are in need or in desperate situations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4R06T14Qac