If you live in an apartment or own a house, you should surely understand how God feels.
Imagine walking into the mall and while shopping, a perfect stranger suddenly walks up to you. After greetings and introductions, he explained to you that she just got laid off and lost everything he owns. Consequently, within the past months he defaulted on his car loan, credit cards payments, and his mortgage which led to him losing his house. And the only favors he is asking is of you is to let him crash at your place for few days until he saves enough money to go to his parents’ who happen to live in another state.
In this day and age everybody’s reply will surely be something in the lines of: “Sir, though I understand your current situation which is quite unfortunate I am afraid that I cannot simply let you come into my house because I have never met you and know very little about you.” Then you might suggest that they pay
a visit to the state or county to get some type of government assistance. Or if you can afford it, you will pay for a place for them to stay for few days then refer them to a homeless shelter or a state agency.
See, we all can relate to this type of response.
Now why would we think God has no right to feel this way? I mean believing in God sounds good, but why do we think that anyone can just waltz into God’s home based on what they think are “good” living standards versus what he considers as such? It is quite perplexing when I hear many people say that they know that they will go to heaven simply because they are “good people”.
That unfortunately is quite illogical and here is why. Since when does a stranger get to tell you that they can live with you based on their own terms, not yours, but theirs? Now imagine that you have a friend who you know has never committed a crime, has a good job that pays well, pays his bills on time, is never violent and quite respectful. However, he sometimes likes to sleep around with married women, loves playing loud music from midnight to 3 AM as he often has trouble sleeping. In addition, he also loves bending and stretching the truth as needed which is often not to forget that he sometimes mistreats animals as he is not truly a big fan of pets. Would you like to let that
certain person live in your house knowing that you are yourself married and have a dog? See, what might be acceptable for one person might not be for the other as the definition of what is good is fairly subjective.
Why would God be different. After all it is written that:
“So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27)”.
Although God is no man like us but the creator of all things, he created us in a way that we resemble him just like how children take after their parents. The only exception is that sin entered us, corrupting our DNA in the process which explains the evil that resides in our heart by default rather than the goodness and love our father is filled with. We therefore cannot be surprised that what we might consider to “be good” wouldn’t make the cut as far as he is concerned. Many often forget that what God is asking is not truly far-fetched, illogical, or too unreasonable.
Jesus spent lots of time trying to describe what Heaven looks like through several of his parables in the gospel such as the book of Matthew where he always starts telling the parable by saying that: “The kingdom of God is like…” to give us the idea that the Kingdom is like, a place with certain standards people who will be living there will be adhering to. It will be a place where people share the same vision and values God cherishes.
That is also why he said the following in the bible:
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
“For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”. (Ephesians 5:5)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24)
Those are few passages that are telling us that going to heaven isn’t an automatic thing unless we repent which means turning away from our old ways, receive Christ so our slate can be wiped clean, and receive the grace to walk daily on that narrow path. This implies that one must know the things God considers good in the first place which is summed up into loving your neighbor and God. And we obviously can’t do it by ourselves.
As a result, dear, flee religions that tell you that everybody will go to heaven as long as they are good which is solely based on their own definition of whatever “good” means. Their theologies even defy basic human logic.
Interested in getting an idea of what God means by love your neighbor and God as that what we will be doing in heaven, pick a Bible as a starting point. That is what I did.
Much love beloved.
A humble follower of Jesus Christ.
The Godhead the Father, The Son, & The Holly Spirit,
Our Lord God is One.