Well, it’s July. I actually had the thought of
titling each blog for this month “Is it August yet?” (with the accompanied part
1, and then 2, etc. in parenthesis). I
say this because this is a month that is now forever set apart as quite
bittersweet. On the one hand, I’m happy
that my dad is experiencing bliss that is beyond human imagination in Heaven. I’m thrilled for him. On the other hand, I feel the void, pain, and
loss in my heart and life.
I’m not sure how many
or few blogs I will be writing in this distinctive month, but I’m certain that I
will be talking about Heaven. Based on
that fact, for today, I wanted to ask and answer an important question. What qualifies a person to enter Heaven’s
gates?
Many
today would answer, “Practice good works.”
While this is a common response, the fact is nobody is qualified to
enter Heaven based on their own performance, merit, or works. The Bible puts it plainly, “All our righteous
acts are as filthy rags in His sight.”
Don’t get confused: this verse doesn’t mean that righteous acts aren’t
important. Rather it means trying to
somehow gain God’s favor with upstanding conduct or righteous living isn’t sufficient
to qualify for Heaven. Why not? Because humanity is guilty of sin and no
amount of works can magically erase that fact.
Let me put it another way: entrance to Heaven has nothing to do with my works;
it has everything to do with Jesus’ work on the cross of Calvary.
In
an article from got questions.org, the author puts it this way: “When we stand
before God one day, we cannot beg entrance into heaven based on our own
merit. We have none to offer. Compared to God’s standard of holiness, not
one of us is good enough. But Jesus is,
and by His merit we can enter heaven.”
Amen belongs here! By the way,
there’s so much more great material in the article I've quoted from. The link is below. I encourage you to check it out.
A
few years ago, I had a dream that I was riding on the subway. For some reason, a fellow passenger began to
ask people why they thought they were going to Heaven. I have no idea why this person decided to ask
everyone this question and I woke up before I got the answer. Be that as it may, when he got to me, I
answered, “I’m not relying on my own righteousness to enter Heaven; I’m relying
on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.” The all-important question, then, is this: How does one get this righteousness? The answer is through faith, trust, and belief in Jesus. Romans 3 says, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." The old hymn had it right: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”
Kevin
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