Misconception #1: Good people go to heaven.
If our church is going to be good at fulfilling Jesus’ mission the first thing we need to understand is that most people believe that if they are good enough God will let them into heaven. You might be wondering: What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that basically how it works? No! This happens to be the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches! It’s exactly what most world religions teach (in one form or another) but it’s the exact opposite of what Christianity teaches. Let me show you.
On the day Jesus was crucified Luke 23 records, “Two other men, both criminals [unlike Jesus], were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Jesus there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.” (vv32-33) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said in Luke 23:42-43 “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (vv.39-43)
Here we have a bad person going to heaven. Admittedly he was getting what his deeds deserved as he died on the cross. Yet because this man confessed his sins (i.e. we are getting what our deeds deserve) and then looked to Jesus for mercy (remember me when you come into your kingdom) Jesus told him he would go to heaven. This man’s story completely blows up the “good people go to heaven theory.”
What are we to make of this? Well in this passage we find the truth of God’s Word to counter the first misconception. Here it is: The Bible teaches: Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven. You can be as fabulous and fantastic as anyone ever was, but it’s not being fantastic or fabulous that will get you into heaven – being forgiven will get you into heaven.
Here’s a great way to explain this to your unsaved family and friends (and a great way to understand what I mean if you’re not yet a Christian)…Imagine two people (one good and one bad) standing on one side of the Grand Canyon. Each decide that by their own effort and might they will jump across to God who stands on the other side. So they head to Marble Canyon, where it’s only 600 feet across, vs other spots where it’s 18 miles across. The bad guy jumps first. After running as fast as he can and jumping as far as he can he makes it 15 feet before falling short of God and plummeting to his death. The good guy smugly thinks: I won’t end up like the bad guy – after all, I’m good. Surely I will make it across. So he gives it his best shot beating not just the bad guy, but my long jump record from when I ran track in high school…it was an amazing jump…but then he too falls short of God and plummets to his death. You see, their being good or bad had nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not they would reach God on the other side. What they needed was a bridge.
In the same way, whether you’re good or bad has nothing to do with whether or not you’ll get to God and get to heaven. Your sin has separated you from God (Isaiah 59:2) so that it’s as if there’s a Grand Canyon of distance between you and him. No matter how hard you try to be good, you fall short. This is why Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” And in falling short you fall to your death. As Romans 6:23 puts it “the wages of sin is death.” Since we couldn’t reach God through our own effort and might, Jesus came to be a bridge that would enable us to get to God and get to heaven. When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins, he becomes the bridge that gets us to heaven. But being good or bad has nothing to do with it. As I said earlier – Christianity isn’t about what you DO, rather what Christ has DONE.
So don’t trust in your own righteousness to get you into heaven. You’ll be very disappointed on judgment day. Instead, make sure you’re forgiven. Make sure you’ve asked Jesus to forgive your sins and become your bridge to God and to heaven. It’s only when you’ve done this that you can know with certainty that you’re going to heaven.
Alright, now that we’ve cleared up misconception #1, let’s look at misconception #2:
Misconception #2: Those who keep the Ten Commandments go to heaven.
Some mistakenly believe that it’s a to-do list (and not a Savior) that will get them into heaven. We read of one such man in Mark 10.
Mark 10:17-22 records: 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?”…You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
This man thought he was a shoo-in for heaven because he thought he had kept all of the ten commandments. He went to Jesus for confirmation of what he believed to be true. But Jesus pointed out to him that because he loved money more than God he was actually breaking the very first commandment, which is “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). This man wanted to be declared righteousness in God’s sight through the ten commandments, but instead the ten commandments did the exact opposite – revealing him to be a sinner in need of a Savior, not rewarding him with heaven as a prize. Put in theological terms: Though the man was looking to the ten commandments for justification, they led to his condemnation.
What went wrong you ask? The man’s problem is the same problem we have today. He didn’t understand the purpose of the law (the ten commandments and all the others). Paul asks in Galatians 3:19a (NIV) “What, then, was the purpose of the law?” He then goes on to answer the question: “It was given…to show people their sins” Galatians 3:19b (NLT). It’s like this…
- If I needed to show you that your face was dirty, a great way to do it would be to show you a mirror. A mirror would be an excellent tool to show you the condition of your face. It’s dirty and filthy and in serious need of cleansing. But while the mirror is useful for showing you your face is dirty, it’s useless as a means by which to wash your face. You can’t wash your face with a mirror.
- In the same way, God’s laws were given as a mirror, to help us see our true condition before God – dirty with sin and in serious need of cleansing. But while God’s laws are useful in showing us our sinful state before God, they are useless in cleansing us from sin.
- For cleansing from sin we need a Savior. That’s where Jesus comes in. As Galatians 3:24 puts it, “…the law was…to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”
What’s the lesson here? What’s the truth that combats salvation misconception #2? Here it is: The purpose of God’s law is to show us we are sinners in need of a Savior (Galatians 3:19,24 & Romans 3:20). They are not there as a to-do list, that if we keep perfectly, will earn us heaven. The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 3:20, “…no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” NLT Did you catch that? The Bible says we won’t ever get to heaven as a result of keeping the list of commands in the Bible. The laws God gives us are there to show us we are sinners in need of a Savior.