Heaven's Checklist

Have you done enough? How many things on the list have you done? Some may say, “I can check off all of them—I’m definitely going to Heaven.” Others might say, “I have only done five—but that should be enough to tip the scales in my favor.” What if you can only lay claim to one item? Will you still make it into Heaven? The truth is, it really doesn’t matter how many good things you’ve done, because none of those things will save you from God’s judgment. Are you surprised?  It’s tempting to think we can repay God for the bad things we do (our sins), and earn a place in Heaven by doing good works. But the Bible says, “By grace are ye saved through faith … not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Do or done? Someone has said there are really only two religions in the world: one of them teaches “I must do,” and the other proclaims “It is done.” One of them is our attempt to reach up to God, but the other reveals God reaching down to rescue us. The Bible tells of God’s love in sending His only Son, Jesus, to put away our sin and take upon Himself the punishment we rightly deserve. We read that “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). As Jesus laid down His life, He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus Christ has done it all. What can we possibly add to the perfect work of God’s perfect Son? God’s way When the Apostle Paul summarized the way to Heaven, he described it as “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). What is repentance? It is waking up to the fact that our ways are wrong, and agreeing with God that His way is right. God says “There is none righteous, no, not one” and in His sight we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Romans 3:10; Ephesians 2:1). We need to align our thoughts with God’s; we must recognize that we are sinners, and abandon any idea that we can save ourselves. What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? It is taking Him at His word—fully trusting in what He has done to wash away our sins, and simply resting in what He has promised. Jesus said, “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Your call Are you going your way or God’s way? None of us are good enough to earn forgiveness and eternal life; likewise, none are too bad for Him to save. Jesus has promised: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Now is the time for you to repent and believe. Call out to God today. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).