I liked this column by Steve Ridgell on John 14:6. If I were a pastor, I could preach a whole sermon on it. Most people seem to think we have to fall down on our knees and accept Jesus get to heaven. I prefer to think of it as the best way, but not the only way.
Think about it for a moment. If it were the only way, God would not let unbaptized children, jews or muslims into heaven unless he started making exceptions. It specifically implies that the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob would not let Abraham, Isaac & Jacob into heaven, because they didn’t go down on their knees to accept Jesus. They never had the opportunity. And punishing children for what they don’t understand? What if the child dies in an abortion before even being born? My God is good God and that must be incorrect logic. Okay, maybe you can make exceptions for those groups, but that just proves the point that it is not the only way.
The fall down on your knees & repent thing is good, but it’s not the whole point. I think people are misunderstanding what Jesus means. I think it means without Jesus’ death on the cross atoning for our sins, we cannot go to heaven. This is at the Last Supper when Jesus is about to be arrested, flogged, crucified & die a horrible death. If Jesus is God, why would he put up with this?
One of God’s reasons to become a man may be to resolve the conflict between 2 of his greatest promises: Justice & Mercy. Wait, how do you punish sinners & give them mercy at the same time? A bullet to the brain & oblivion? Doesn’t sound that merciful, does it? Punish someone else for our sins involuntarily? We all know it’s wrong to involuntarily punish anyone else for crimes they didn’t commit. Yet we not only desire mercy for ourselves, but also want someone else to pay for the wrongs done to us. Well, maybe Mom or Dad would voluntarily cover for me? So Mom or Dad or someone else should suffer for the things you’ve done wrong? Still doesn’t sound fair to them & who pays for their sins? God’s solution is to voluntarily take on the punishment for us thru Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.
Why can’t God just forgive us? The debt doesn’t go away with forgiveness. My mother forgave me for wrecking her car in high school, but the debt didn’t go away. Someone still had to pay for the repairs or at least the deductibles & I didn’t have that kind of money. There are consequences to our sin that forgiveness can’t fix. Only an infinite God can pay for all our sins & give us mercy at the same time he gives justice to those wronged.
If you don’t feel like repenting at first, I can relate. I started with convincing myself that there is good evidence for the resurrection as a real historical event & for God’s existence, but there are many paths up the mountain. Later on came the realization that there were many things in my life that I needed to ask forgiveness for.
Will God specifically care if you call him Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Lord, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit or Jesus? I don’t think so, as long as you get to a belief in God’s existence. I think Jesus’ death on the cross means we are all good to go as long as we believe in God & ask forgiveness for the wrongs we have committed. Not sure babies in the womb need to ask for forgiveness, though.
I think this also provides a means for those that never got the opportunity to call Jesus our Lord and Savior. I could be wrong, though. Perhaps, after we die or on the Judgement Day, we are given a second chance to confess Jesus as Lord. In this life, I think we all have to bow down to God’s sovereignty & realize that He, not us, makes the decisions about who does or doesn’t enter heaven. Our reasons why some may not go to heaven may be no better than the reasons why we shouldn’t be allowed to go to heaven either. Only God has the right to make that call.
Jesus, in your precious, holy name I pray, may it be so.
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