“Why Should I Let You into My
Heaven?”
Let’s suppose for a moment that you died today and stood
before the Lord God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?”
What would you say? What do you think you would say?
That is one of the most important questions you can ask a person
regarding their salvation. James Kennedy got the idea from Donald Grey Barnhouse who asked
the same questions in a slightly different wording. “What right do you have to
come into God’s heaven? What would be your answer?”
I like those questions because they force us to
clarify our thoughts about salvation.
One thing is sure, one day you will die. You will be suddenly thrust
into the face of God and He will ask the question, “Why should I let you come into My
heaven?” “What right do you have to enter into the holy of holies?”
Your reply could be, “I am a religious person. I am trying to
live a Christian life the best I can. I give to the poor, and try to
help people in need. I an not a notorious sinner. I read religious books, my Bible, and I try to love people. I am
serving God the best I can.” But no one will be justified before God on the basis of
his good religious works. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked” (Jer. 17:9). The apostle Paul said wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one
may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The only way a religious
person will ever be saved is by faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross paying the
penalty for our sins. Jesus Christ offers His own perfect righteousness in the place of
our self-righteousness, which can never save us. When we stand before the judgment throne
of God no one will be able to offer any good works as the basis for their right
relationship with God. Our sins and our guilt will stop our mouths because God demands
perfect righteousness, and that we do not have on our own.
“Why should God let you
into His heaven?” “What right do you have to enter into My heaven?”
You may say, “I am a good Jewish person. I have been circumcised. I have fulfilled
the requirements of the covenant.” Or you may say, “I have been baptized
by immersion into
the Christian faith." Or "I have fulfilled the requirements of confirmation. I take the
sacraments, and I give to the poor.” But God’s Word, the Bible, still says,
“There is no one righteous, not even one. . . There is no one who does good, not even
one.” No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by his good works because
the purpose of the Law is to make us conscious of our sins. "For
no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for
through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20
NET).
The purpose of the Law is to
bring us under conviction of our unrighteousness and point us to the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ that alone can save us.
My only
claim to heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for me. He took the
punishment for my sins. He is my right to heaven, because He has become
my righteousness.
The only answer that will
satisfy God is one that focuses on the finished atoning work of Jesus Christ. If we are
saved it is not on the basis of anything we do, but entirely on what Jesus Christ did for
us on the cross in His death and resurrection. He suffered for our sins. He died for us.
“The wages of sin is death.” He died my death. He bore my punishment for my sins
in His death. There is no other way to come to God. Only the individual who comes to God
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ will enter into God’s presence in heaven.
Let’s suppose you died
today and stood before God. What would be your answer to the question, “Why should I
let you into My heaven?” “By what right should God let you into His
heaven?”
I pray that you will declare,
“My only right to heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for me. He took my
punishment for my sins. He is my righteousness. He is my only hope to enter into
God’s holy presence. There is no other name given among men whereby I must be saved.
Jesus alone can save me.”
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Click for printer friendly page
SELAH INDEX
CLICK to E-mail SELAH! to a friend.
|
![[Valid RSS]](../gra/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
