IT’S THE BIBLE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.
It comes from Tom Hartman, an Oakie who wins a free, signed copy of a book of mine. He chose Bible Snapshots.
I asked my Facebook readers to tell me what one question they would ask God if they got the chance. Here’s what Tom said he would ask.
“Have I been good enough to make it to heaven? And if not, what do I need to change?”
That questions makes me sad.
Two reasons.
- Bad memory.
- Bad me.
Bad memory
“My wife says I’m not good enough to be a pastor.” That’s what a pastor friend of mine told me many years ago.
I was having lunch with him at the time, talking about other stuff. Out of the blue, he volunteered that confession, adding, “And I have to sleep with her.”
He resigned from pastoring.
A gifted preacher, he regrets that decision, I’m fairly certain.
I’m sad for him. And I’m sad for the congregations he would have served, which may well be enduring worship services less energized and engaging than if he had been there.
Still, I believe God has adapted to the change, and is putting the former pastor to good use in other ways.
Bad me
I write easy-reading books about the Bible. I’ve made it my job to help people understand what the Bible teaches. I’m managing to sell some books, over a million so far. But I’m not sure I’m getting the main message across.
Let me try harder, with a personal note to Tom, whom I’ve never met.
Tom, don’t ask that question anymore. Not if you’re betting the wad on Jesus.
If the Bible doesn’t teach squat else, it teaches this:
“Everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life,” (John 3:16).
Tom, you aren’t the first to ask the question.
One of the first on record who wasn’t a Jew was a jailer in the Greek town of Philippi.
Here’s his version of the question, which he asked to Paul, one of his prisoners: “What must I do to be saved?”
Paul’s answer: “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!” (Acts 16:30-31).
I once went to a conference for pastors, though I’ve never been a pastor and never want to be; a congregation of humans would drive me nuts. I was at this conference as one of the instructors. But in my free time I sat in on sessions led by others.
One session leader asked the pastors a question a lot like the one Tom and the jailer asked. He asked, “What does it take to be a Christian?”
The crowd tossed back a bunch of answers. A few, as I recall:
- Attend church regularly.
- Tithe.
- Volunteer to help in church programs.
- Comply with the rules of the church that are written in the manual.
These were preachers talking, giving one wrong answer after another.
So, Tom, don’t feel bad about asking the question, or any version of it.
What does it take to be a Christian? Where do we get our ticket into heaven? How do we know if we’re good enough to make the cut?
Jesus. Jesus. And Jesus.
He’s what it takes to be a Christian. “All who call out to the Lord will be saved,” (Romans 10:13).
He’s the ticket into heaven. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6).
He’s the one who’s good enough—for all of us. “Christ did not sin…Christ carried the burden of our sins….By his cuts and bruises you are healed,” (1 Peter 2:22-24).
So, Tom, go ahead and do good things, attend church, support the church with offerings as best you can, try not to break any more rules of the church than necessary (sometimes, I’ve discovered, it may be necessary). But don’t depend on any of these to get you into heaven.
You know who you can depend on.
Brother Stephen, I have read your answer to the question that tom asked. I was disappointed that you did not bring in the response of Jesus when a rich young ruler asked Jesus what must he do to receive eternal life. Jesus response was that he should obey all of the commandments referring to the Ten Commandments. The young man responded back that he had done all that. Jesus responded back that there is one thing you lack was to sell all of your possessions and give to the poor and follow Him. The young man went away sad. The disciples asked Jesus that they have given up everything to follow him. Jesus responded that those who have given up everything will receive much more in God’s Kingdom. I write this on a day that many people have set aside for service to communities in honor of the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King II which is great, but service in honor of Reverend King, Mr. Ghandi, Mr. Mandella cannot not be reduced to one day, but must be lived out daily in bringing God’s justice to the earth as it is in Heaven whether it is breaking down the walls between the black and white or latino or Middle Eastern or Asian or people who are disabled or the LGBTQ or the walls between the rich and the poor, etc. This is a life long journey no person can do it individually, but it takes being dependent on God and interdependent on each other no matter who people are. Be still and know that God is God and His call to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves no matter who they are.
Hi, Gary. I thought about that passage, but decided against it for this blog post. Jesus was talking to one man in particular at the time. And though it’s good for us to spend time serving others, I don’t believe that the Bible teaches that our salvation depends on it. Some people aren’t physically able to do it. Others aren’t enlightened enough to see the value of it. We’re working on them, though.