Ask anybody the question of where they believe their loved ones who have passed away are and it is highly likely that nine out of ten people will say Heaven; also referred to as “a better place.”
According to billygraham.ca, for every person who believes he/she is going to Hell, 120 believe they are going to Heaven. If those numbers are accurate, 99% of people believe they are going to Heaven when they die, but only 29% of Canadians say they are Christian (according to 2019 Pew Research Data). Something doesn’t add up. Can this be right?
What is it about Heaven that appeals to us? Heaven is the place most refer to in an awkward attempt to comfort another who has just experienced the death of a loved one, “He/she is in a better place.” Based on what?
Taking these survey numbers at face value, literally seventy percent of Canadians who reject Christ believe that based on their own assessment of what it means to be “good”, believe they will spend eternity in Heaven.
Which leads to the question, “What does it mean to be good? How do you measure ‘good’?”
How would you assess the following;
Candace is a woman who has a personality like a Lab, a socialite who loves being around people. She gives to all in need, never has a bad word to say against anyone, to love her comes naturally. She lives with her boyfriend and although they desire to be parents, both have agreed to wait until after they are married to have children.
Does Candace meet the definition of “good”?
Jesus doesn’t say we must be “good”, He says we must do the will of His Father.
“As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. ‘Good Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
‘Why do you call Me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone.’”
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven will enter.”
Matthew 7:21
Going back to Candace’s profile, based on Scripture we cannot say she is “good”. The only question left to ask is whether or not she is doing the will of God.
Like the Rich Young Ruler, she has a lot going for her but there is that thing, a pretty major thing, that is outside the will of God. Living with her boyfriend, sexual immorality.
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 NASB
In these days of great apostasy, it’s a curious thing that 99% of people are concerned with where they will spend eternity but only 29% say they are Christians and less than that actually live according to the will of God.
The decision to follow God the Father and live His way is a big decision. It requires serious consideration. Get familiar with Scripture, ask questions, to determine if the cost of living God’s way is worth eternity with Him in Heaven.
I would be heartbroken if I did not write this and you continued to believe that if you believe you are a “good” person that you will live for eternity in Heaven, only to face God on that final day and have Him say that He never knew you. Absolutely Heartbroken! Heartbroken because the only alternative to eternal life in Heaven is eternal life spent alone in the blackest darkness
Out of everything life has to offer, all of the choices you can make, the real question to consider is;
“Who is Jesus?”
Then ask yourself, “What am I going to do about Him?”
“How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
1 Kings 18:21 and Joshua 24:14-15 NIV
