Question #7 on the leader guide says:Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” What would you say?
One way to think about this question is to ask it the opposite way. Instead of asking, "Why should God let me into heaven?" you could ask, "What would keep me out of heaven?"
Scripture clearly answers this question:
1Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
1John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
If you have lied, you are a liar. If you have had hatred in your heart, you are a murderer. If you have ever taken anything that didn't belong to you, you are a thief.
These are all violations of God’s law. If you are guilty of breaking God’s law, a penalty must be imposed. The only way to be spared from the penalty is by divine pardon.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is that pardon. He suffered the penalty for the sins we have committed, thereby making the pardon possible.
If a person places his/her complete faith and trust in Jesus and accepts the pardon of God, that person will be welcomed into heaven.
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1 comment:
I tend to disagree with asking the question of "What would keep me out of heaven?"
Our very nature keeps us out of heaven. We are, by nature, "objects of wrath." I Cor. 6:9-10 gives a pretty good list of sinful lifestyles, but I think the most important part of that passage is vs. 11 which says, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (NIV). Verses 9 & 10 don't give us a list of what keeps us out of heaven... we're not going to heaven even if we avoid what is on the list. I think the best question really is, "Why should God let me into heaven?" And that is what vs. 11 is all about.
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