Getting Into Heaven (as God Sees It)

In Luke 18:10-14 Jesus tells the story of two men who went into the temple to pray. One man, a Pharisee, prayed (Jesus says, “with himself”) how he was not guilty of a list of bad things and listed a couple of his good points as well. Additionally, he spoke in a derogatory fashion of the other man who was present while he was there. The other man, a despised publican, “would not lift so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus’ point is that the publican was justified before God and the Pharisee was not.

Three chapters later, in Luke 21:1-4, Jesus and his disciples are outside that same temple. Luke tells us, “He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And He said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her poverty hath cast in all the living that she had.”

In both instances, the normal response of human observers would be to have been impressed by the Pharisee, and the rich men. Jesus has the opposite reaction. It reminds us of what God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 when Samuel thought Eliab should be king but God wanted David, “the Lord seeth not as man seeth.” God said in Isaiah 55:8-9, “My thoughts are not your throughts, neither are My ways your ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

These statements have application to the way we see “getting into Heaven”, compared to the way God sees us “getting into Heaven.” Some people see getting into Heaven as a way to escape “getting into hell.” Others, who understand that we can do absolutely nothing to “earn” Heaven are convinced they must meet a certain standard, or level, of goodness to get across the threshold. The Pharisee in Luke 18 thought incorrectly that his righteousness was his ticket. The publican (whom Jesus claimed was justified) was afraid he would never be worthy.

Heaven is a place where God is. God is Holy and Righteous. God is Love. God is Just and Merciful, and full of Grace. All of these qualities will be in Heaven because God will be in Heaven. If we hope to be in Heaven with God, we must incorporate these qualities into our character to the utmost degree possible. We won’t be comfortable in Heaven without them, and God will not have people who are uncomfortable in Heaven. Those things that “fit” in Heaven are those things that will be in Heaven. God will see to that.

Sin, in any form, will not be in Heaven. See Rev. 21:8, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, Gal. 5:19-21, Eph. 5:5, as examples. A good, brief summary is found in Rev, 21:27, “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” There are some things that don’t “fit” in Heaven because they are antithetical to God. Some of them are listed in the verses above. Those things, including anyone who has those things as part of their character, will not be in Heaven.

If you are giving thoughtful consideration to all this, you realize this is a very bleak situation. Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” means we, by ourselves, don’t have the things necessary to “fit” in Heaven, and we do possess the things that will make us not “fit” in Heaven. Being unfit and unworthy of Heaven sadly leaves us only one eternal destination that we can claim and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. It can’t get bleaker than that.

But it can get better. God can do things we can’t do. 1 John 4:8 tells us that ”God is love,” and we are the recipients of that love! Because God chooses to love us, and for that reason alone, He has devised a way that He can accept us into Heaven much as He accepted Isaiah by purging his sins with a hot coal in Isaiah 6:5-7. God can do things we can’t do. Because of His love, He has mercifully extended His grace to open a door into Heaven.

Although He has extended this offer to everyone, it will not be accepted by everyone. He will force it on no one. “Not everyone that saith unto me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.,” Matthew 7:21-23. We have to accept His offer on His terms.

God’s grace, and His love, were demonstrated, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us on the cross, see Romans 5:9. Paul, in Romans 5 and 6, explains how Christ’s death paid the ransom to redeem us from our sinful state, and also provided a pattern which we must obey; a death, burial and resurrection. Christ gave us the pattern on the cross and from the grave. We repeat the pattern through baptism (Rom. 6:3-4 and 17) and then the pattern instituted by Christ is completed in us and God adds us to His church, which is the group of those who are being saved (See Acts 2:37-47.)

There are some who find this to be a stumbling block, a bridge too far. But God has offered His plan for all those who will accept it and we should be grateful for it. The Bible is united in its message and every part must conincide with, and not contradict, every other part. An understanding of the Bible in which part of it appears to contradict another part is an improper understanding. Accept it all and follow it all, and you won’t get into Heaven so much as God will get you into Heaven.