“No one is righteous – not even one.” (Romans 3:10 NLT)
In yesterday’s post we looked at why we can’t trust our own goodness to get us into heaven, concluding that Jesus is our only hope, based on what the Bible teaches. Many with whom I speak can’t wrap their minds around why Jesus must be the only way. Why can’t there be some compromise? If I live a good life, obey my government, love my family, and be productive in my work, why isn’t that good enough?
Let me paint a couple of pictures that may help you to understand better why Jesus IS and MUST BE the ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN! We looked briefly yesterday at who Jesus is and why He is uniquely qualified to pay the penalty for our sin, thus, opening a way for us to go to heaven. Other world religions offer options, all of which boil down to earning our own way through being good enough. We looked at the folly of that thinking yesterday.
In Joshua chapter 3, Moses has died, and Joshua has become Israel’s leader. The Bible says that God instructed Joshua to have the Levitical priests carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the Israelites. This was the harvest season, so the Jordan river was overflowing its banks, but the only way to get to the Promised land was to cross the river. Now here’s where the plot thickens. God told Joshua that the waters wouldn’t recede until the priests put their feet in the water. So, the moment the priests’ feet touched the water, it began to back up on the left and the rest flowed on to the right until the ground was dry for everyone to cross the river. What’s my point?
Before Jesus there was no way to heaven. The Jews were given the Ten Commandments, but in man’s typical fashion, those ten soon expanded to a few hundred that no one could ever in eternity obey. It’s not enough to believe (understand intellectually) that Jesus is God and is the only way to heaven. That’s a good start, but you have to activate your belief and step into the “river” of faith by placing your complete trust in Jesus. What does that look like? It looks like obedience! Not to a system of beliefs or manmade regulations, but to a Person who loves you and wants only the absolute best for you. That’s why the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us when we yield our allegiance to Jesus, is so vital. He guides, instructs, teaches, and leads us into what is true, enabling us to understand what is truth and what is not.
People who aren’t acquainted with the Bible or vocabulary associated with being a believer, often do the best they know to do, they live the way they were taught growing up. It’s not that they are anti-God or don’t want to go to heaven, they just follow the dictates of their own heart, believing that’s enough. That’s what I did before I came to understand who Jesus is, what He did in my place and what response He’d like me to give.
The most important word in the English language to describe what God desires from us is RELATIONSHIP! It’s not like God is up in heaven judging our every move, waiting for us to step out of line so He can condemn us to hell. God is our heavenly Father who, like any loving Father would give His life for His child, and that’s exactly what He did. He became a man, in the Person of Jesus. God poured Himself into a human baby, who grew to become the only perfect man who has ever lived or ever will live. Jesus came to earth to be a light in the darkness, to show us the way back to God.
Please check out tomorrow’s post, so I can finish sharing what’s on my heart on this subject.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 