It was during the noonday newscast I heard Ed Bradley had passed away. At that hour there were few details, and I must confess, I didn't think too much about it at the time. Later in the afternoon, I read cnn.com and discovered he had leukemia and had died from complications of it. It started to hit me what that meant…”was he saved?” The question quietly nagged at me.
During the national news broadcasts, I surfed the three major networks to see what the latest coverage was. In some ways, I regret that simple action as a montage of his best known and his personal favorites were recounted. When asked about how he wanted to be remembered, he said (paraphrasing), “When I arrive at the pearly gates and meet St. Peter, and he asks me what did I do to deserve entrance, I'll ask him if he saw my Lena Horne piece.” The tears started to flow and I choked up, hoping that's not how he saw heaven. Whether or not that was a joke, it opens up a serious conversation beyond heaven and hell – do you get into heaven by being a good person or by your works?
The Bible clearly states there's only one way to get into heaven: believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He taught us in John's gospel, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter into the sheepfold by the door, but going up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber. ” Peter also made the confession in front of the Pharisees in the Book of Acts; “ Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ”
Salvation is a gift and a process. Chuck Missler, a popular expositor, likes to accurately quip, “You're saved? Congratulations! Now, what are you going to do with it?” Paul communicates clearly in Ephesians, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Imagine for a minute your good works and charity had to compete with the likes of a Rockefeller, Kennedy, Rothschild, or Hearst-Argyle, and you are barely squeaking out enough money to keep a roof over your head. If entrance into heaven were by works, heaven would operate like earth – only the rich and privileged would have a spot, the rest of us would be doomed to hell. Thankfully, the Bible tells us His ways are not our ways, and our ways are not His. Translation: you can't buy your way into heaven, and amen for that incredible mercy!
James also echoed similar sentiments, but from a different perspective. He argues that faith without works is dead. In other words, works are one piece of evidence that you are a new creature in Christ. The works are not something you do to “earn points”, they should be a natural outpouring of the spiritual change inside your heart. “ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works. ”
Then there's the great deception: “If I'm a good person, when I die, I'll go to heaven”. That's a problem! The person is unwittingly relying on their own righteousness to get into heaven, but that's not Biblically possible. The Word teaches us from the start man is descended (Adam and Eve) from a fallen race (removal from the garden). It also states no man is justified in God's sight, and no man has avoided the temptation of sin. “The soul that sins, dies” and “the wages of sin are death” – we know that, but the unsaved don't realize or care.
Ray Comfort has a great answer for this self-justification: take them through the Ten Commandments. “Have you ever lied? Then you're a liar. Have you ever stolen anything? Then you're a thief. Have you ever taken God's name in vain and used it as a four letter cuss word? Then you're guilty of blasphemy. The Bible says no liar, thief, or blasphemer will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” That's a reality call on just three, and we know the law was given to us to illustrate not only our transgressions, but show us our desperate need to run the Savior who has already paid the fine of death for us.
So if no flesh is justified in God's sight, we've got a big problem if we march up to glory naked. By turning our backs on the Savior, we have forfeited the clothing of righteousness Jesus has prepared for us. We stand alone without Jesus to protect us. It's His blood, His ceaseless intercessory prayer, and His righteousness that will open up heaven to us, not our paltry deeds.
If one chooses to go it without Jesus, they obviously do not know “the wages of sin is death”, and no sin enters into heaven. They have to pay the fine for their sins alone, resulting in an unfortunate eternal trip to hell.
Could you be accused of being a “covert Christian”, sneaking around and not showing or sharing your faith? Your belief in Jesus to save you from the wrath to come is your most precious gift – imagine if it had never been given to you because a “covert Christian” claimed to be too shy? You would be trapped for all eternity in hell screaming, “You were my friend! Why did you let me come here to this place of torment while you're in luxury. Why didn't you tell me the truth?”
You're only there because someone cared enough to share. Return the favor to others. I hope someone shared that truth with Ed Bradley and the Lena Horne remark was nothing more than a witty comment.
Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found here , relijournal.com articles here , and picable.com images here . If you enjoyed this article, consider digging it with others.
