Only Sinners go to Heaven

I am here to tell you today, YOU must be a sinner to get to Heaven. Because only Sinners make it to heaven!

As I began to learn more about my faith, one of the scariest things I can recall, is being told I should be telling others about Jesus. Imagine that…., I need to tell others……, Evangelize. I was suppose to become one of those “nut jobs on the street” or the ones that go door to door and just will not leave alone when you tell them no. Better yet, maybe I should hang at the airport to Evangelize. Good thing for the TSA now, keeping us safe from those people at the gates… The ones that I am suppose to be like. Believe it or not, that is what I thought, that is what I believed sharing my faith was. That was the definition of Evangelism. Now I am sure that I was not alone in this belief, but…….

What really are we suppose to do and how? Many of us know the great commission. Where Jesus commanded

(Matthew 28:19-20, TNIV)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

So, we know what we have been commanded to do go make disciples, but how do we do this? How do we respond, what are the dangers, how can we overcome them? So many questions, so little answers, or are there answers? All that we need has been given to us, in just the proportions that God has determined that we need.

(Romans 12:6-8, TNIV)

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Ok, make disciples of nations, but by many means. Maybe you believe this or not, but it is true, that all of the gifts we have, can and do lead to being Evangelists, if we choose to use them. Now comes the scary part, the really scary part. Going out and being with the people that are non believers, the ones that are lost and needing us the most. The ones who may have rejected God and even our attempts to give them the good news. Ultimately the hardest part of what we need to do, is answering those tough questions that we will get asked by those we try to Evangelize to.

Here are my top three objections I have come across:

1) God must have created Evil, since he has created all.

2) God does not care, because I do not see him stopping bad things from happening.

3) I am a good person, that is all that matters.

For the first objection I have a story to tell you that I received via an email. Now this is only a story but holds very true.

‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand

‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’

‘Yes sir,’ the student says.

‘So you believe in God?’

‘Absolutely ‘

‘Is God good?’

‘Sure! God’s good.’

‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’

‘Yes’

‘Are you good or evil?’

‘The Bible says I’m evil.’

The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!

Pause

He considers for a moment. ‘Here’s one for you.

Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?’

‘Yes sir, I would.’

‘So you’re good…!’

‘I wouldn’t say that.’

‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?’

The student remains silent. ‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. ‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’

‘Er..yes,’ the student says.

‘Is Satan good?’

The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’

‘Then where does Satan come from?’

The student falters. ‘From God’

‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?’

‘Yes, sir..’

‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?’

‘Yes’

‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’

Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’

The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’

‘So who created them?’

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student. ‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?’

The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’

The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?’

‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’

‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’

‘No, sir, I have not..’

‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’

‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’

‘Yet you still believe in him?’

‘Yes’

‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist… What do you say to that, son?’

‘Nothing,’ the student replies.. ‘I only have my faith.’

‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat? ‘

‘ Yes.

‘And is there such a thing as cold?’

‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’

‘No sir, there isn’t.’

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. ‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.’

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’

‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation.. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’

‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?’

‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’

The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can you explain how?’

‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains.. ‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’ ‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.’ ‘Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?’

‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’

‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. ‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’ The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into laughter. ‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.’ ‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?’

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I Guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’

‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’ Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’

To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.’

The professor sat down.

Now for number two, God does not care, because I do not see him stopping bad things from happening.

How can you tell what God has stopped from happening? If God had not intervened, what else could have happened? God is active in our lives all the time and just because there are bad things that happened to us, does not mean that God does not care. In fact, he cares so much that he has prevented so much other stuff from happening. Prove to me that God did not prevent worse things from happening to you. Remember, God only gives you what you can handle.

Lastly, number three

I am a good person. That is all that really matters.

Since I am good, God, if there is one, will accept me into heaven.

Far from it. Good people do not make it to heaven, only sinners make it to heaven. We are human, and by that virtue we are sinners. If you cannot truly acknowledge that you are a sinner, you have no chance of making it to heaven. It is only through acknowledging your sin, that you relay upon Jesus to bridge the gap between your sin and God.

(1 John 1:8-10, TNIV)

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

Many of us are familiar with John 3:16, but let’s go just a little bit further.

(John 3:18-21, TNIV)

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Okay, so we know we are to spread the Gospel, but we still need the comfort that we will be able to do this. Can we do this on our own? Not a chance. We are going to get tough questions? Darn right! Sometimes questions we believe we cannot handle. However, God is always with us to help us and guide us. Jesus tells us this in

(John 14:15-17, TNIV)

” “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

It is acceptable to tell someone that you don’t have an answer for them, but you will get the answer for them? Yes, this always acceptable. This is an opportunity to speak with them again, hummm, God planned? Maybe…… Use the resources that God has given you. Our Bible, our Christian friends, and your Pastor. Get the answers and report back. You will be guided to who/what you need to get the answer from.

We are sinners, all of us. To make it to heaven, we must acknowledge this sin, freely, and without shame and ask Jesus to be our Advocate to God. This is why only sinners make it to heaven, because we all sin, and fall short of the glory of God and in acknowledging our sin, and acknowledging that we cannot get to heaven on our own sinful merit, Jesus Redeems us in the eyes of God, and we become justified sinners.