“You Think You Are the Only Ones Going to Heaven”

I was raised in the church. I was born in California on a Monday at 7:00 p.m. My parents took me to worship the following Sunday. My grandfather grew up on a farm in west Texas and was converted to Christ as a young teenager and decided to preach the gospel. He spent approximately 20 years overseas and 63 years in the pulpit. He taught us all a love and respect for the authority of the Bible.

When I say, “I was raised in the church,” it simply means I only knew of the church that Jesus built (is there another?) – the church of Acts to Revelation. I was not raised in a denomination or according to a human creed which came later in human history. It was strictly the word of God for us. When my grandfather entered the mission field all he took with him was his Bible. When he “started a church” – he simply founded the same church the apostles and early Christians presented to the world in the first century. We did not seek to have our own interpretation of the Bible, because we understood it had a fixed message that came directly from the Holy Spirit through the pen of chosen men (2 Pet. 1:20-21).

If I count my first opportunities to lead devotionals and Bible classes and extend invitations to the assembly, I have been preaching the gospel for some 26 years. To me, it is the greatest responsibility and the sincerest pleasure. I get to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to a world that is lost in sin. I get to give them hope because of the teachings of Christ and the salvation He alone can offer (Rom. 1:16-17). I absolutely love my job!

Therefore, I am saddened that I often hear people who are not a part of the New Testament church have such a negative opinion of those who are. I am speaking of either unchurched people or those who are religious but follow teachings not found in God’s holy word. One of the accusations of God’s people is that they, “…think they are the only ones going to heaven.” This is such a discouraging attack. I have come to understand that there are two reasons why this accusation is often made:

1. There really are people who think they get to decide who is going to heaven and who is not.

2. There are people who want to think that everyone is going to heaven regardless of what they believe and practice.

Both of these attitudes are incorrect. The first is wrong because Christ alone will judge the living and the dead at His appearing (2 Tim. 4:1). It has never been a human responsibility to decide who is lost or saved. So we must look to the Bible and let the word of God, alone, speak. All people of accountability are lost because all have sinned and do sin (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin is death, but eternal life is a free gift offered through Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23). Since God offers the gift, we must meet His terms in order to receive it (Acts 2:38). We are saved because by His grace He adds us to His church upon our obedience (Acts 2:47). The Bible thus plainly teaches that one must be a part of the church Jesus bled and died for in order to be saved (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23).

The second attitude is wrong because it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). True, Biblical, saving faith is a direct result of adherence to the word of God (Rom. 10:17). We cannot do things however we want to do them and just assume God is going to accept us (Matt. 7:21-27). We must submit to God (James 4:7). We must love Him by keeping His commandments (John 14:15). What we believe and practice matters. Absolute truth does exist and can be understood (John 8:31-32; 18:37). No person will get to heaven on accident. The only way back to the Father is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

We need to stop playing the “us versus them” game. Each one of us will be accountable to God when Jesus returns. On that Day, what we think about another person’s salvation will be completely irrelevant. On that Day, it will only matter what God thinks about mine.

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’” – 2 Timothy 2:19

———————-

To Receive Every Post via Email for Free, Click Here