Are You Going To Heaven?

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:24

STRAIT (not the word “straight”) = restricted, confined, to God’s way.

THE ANSWER: “Jesus saith unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

You may say, “But surely everyone understands this, don’t they?” WRONG!!

On the matter of going to heaven, people are still relying on things such as: “Well, I try to be a good neighbor and help out where I can; I try to make a difference with what I have to do with.” And “Well, I believe there are good people in all religions – and as long as we are sincere and do the best we can, what else is there?”

But none of these and many other ideas even acknowledge that there is such a thing as a strait gate. Rather, it is as if no gate is needed to get into heaven, but that it lies before all of us, and all we have to do is just walk our own way right into heaven!

Let us consider the possibilities of any going to heaven apart from the strait gate.

The access to heaven is only by the strait gate, or it isn’t. That gate is either strait, or it isn’t. Christ either told the truth, or He lied. This writer is going to say, let Christ be true and all who do not accept His message are the liars. The fact is, no one is in heaven, is going to heaven, or will go to heaven except by the strait gate.

God’s Word is clear – “There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23) “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:50) Thus, we see that the strait gate is not any of the ways of man, because no man has the righteousness or the means to make the strait gate. If man could make it, it would not be strait (only available by God’s means.)

Even before sin entered the human race, mankind was not an heir of God’s heaven and there was no possibility of any man going there by any right or means of his own. Since man had no way to go to heaven before sin, how much less after he sinned and came under the condemnation of sin!

So, God provided the strait gate. God was not willing that sinful man perish, so HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to earth to not only die for our sins that we perish not, but to also offer Himself to God for us to be made acceptable to God by His Divine righteousness and person. Thus the strait gate, man going to heaven, by way of God having accepted Christ’s offering for him – a joint heir with Christ! This is unto all, but only upon them that believe in this way.

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Railers

Since the purpose of those who follow Christ is: “…that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3) Those who promote conflict and strife are railers, not disciples.

The railer is proud, self-exalted and self-justified, declaring that his difference of opinion is the road to greater insight. But to think that diversity of opinion and challenging sound doctrine is the pathway of enlightenment, is in itself an admission that one knows not the truth of God.

When it comes to right and wrong, it is not debate that settles the question, but de-BIBLE! It is not private interpretation(s) (2 Peter 1:19-21), but repentance unto the acknowledging of God’s truth (2 Timothy 2:23-26). It is not self-assertion, but self-denial, that enables discipleship (Luke 9:23-24). Jesus Christ affirmed, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Each person contending for their own opinion, rather than forsaking their thoughts and their ways in repentance, to come to God’s thoughts and God’s ways, is on the broad road to destruction: Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Jeremiah 10:23, Romans 3:11)

When man brings forward his own contentions, rather than repenting unto being converted to child like faith in God’s Word:
–this manifests the enmity of the natural mind against God: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7
–this demonstrates the inability of sinful nature to discern spiritual things: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

In the Garden of Eden, Satan presented himself as “the angel of light” to inform Eve that she would have to look beyond what God’s Word said to find what was best for her. “…if any man…is a railer…with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11

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No Double Standard, Please!

“The law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19), but pointed all to the need to be made righteous by faith in the merits of the substitution offering (which was a type of Christ to come.) The law was not the means of righteousness, but by the law was the knowledge of sin, Romans 7:7.

The detail of the law got into every person’s life. The letter of the law exposed impurities and sin in everyone. It required them to offer a sacrifice in order to be justified before God.

The whole system of the Old Testament taught the fact that all have sin, none are without sin, and the only way to be made acceptable to God was through the merits of the substitution offering, which was a type of Christ.

The detail of the law demonstrated man’s sinful state before God. The sacrificial offering demonstrated that acceptance with God was only possible through Christ’s offering of Himself for man.

The detail of the law set forth the principles of what sin is. The sacrifical lamb set forth the principles of what Christ’s offering is. BOTH of these ceremonial types set forth that which is principally true, regarding both sin and the Saviour.

When Christ died on the cross, all the ceremonial types were done away with, NOT by declaring them to be incorrect, but by fulfilling that which they represented, Matthew 5:17-19.

So, we preach Christ, as the apostles did, who only had the Old Testament scritpures that declared the truth concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, by both typology and prophecy, Acts 28:23. The gospel of Jesus Christ is “…the gospel according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), which is directly referring to what the Old Testament scriptures set forth in typology and prophecy concerning Christ’s work of redemption, that was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Since we declare that the principles set forth in the Old Testament ceremonial law all convey important truth regarding Christ’s sacrificial offering, we must also then declare that the principles that the Old Testament laws set forth regarding sin, right and wrong, also convey important knowledge as to what is to be considered right and wrong today. We must not apply a double standard by saying the ceremonial laws correctly identify the truth concerning Christ, but are incorrect standards by which to determine right and wrong concerning other matters.

To be consistent in our theology, if we say that since Christ died on the cross, and we are no longer under the law, that it means we are now free to violate the principles set forth by the law, then we must also say it would be proper to deny and violate the principles of truth that the Old Testament system set forth concerning Christ’s sacrificial death. So if we should disregard the principles set forth through the teachings and examples of the Old Testament laws, then we should also disregard the gospel according to the scriptures, as both are from the same system.

The Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) declares that “all scripture” is to be regarded as being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Just as we study the Old Testament types for a greater understanding of Christ and His sacrificial offering for our righteousness, we are to study the Old Testament laws for a greater understanding of God’s principles concerning what is right and wrong for doctrine and what is to be regarded as sin: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 God did not say that the transgression of the law is no longer sin!

It is not doctrinal soundness to profess to accept what the Old Testament teaches concerning Christ, while at the same time denying what the Old Testament sets forth as being correct principles for New Testament doctrine. The detail of the Old Testament law is no longer to be observed, just as the animal sacrifice is no longer to be offered. But the principles that are set forth in the Old Testament law and typologies are still correct and are not to be violated or contradicted.

It is more presumptuous than it is faith, to want to claim the benefits of what is declared in the Old Testament regarding the salvation that Christ’s offering affords, while at the same time wanting to reject, deny and live contrary to the principles that God’s laws set forth in the Old Testament. Balaam wanted to die the death of the righteous, but he lacked the faith to live unto God’s principles.

How can one’s belief be correct concerning the Christ that the “schoolmaster” (the law) sets forth, if at the same time they are rejecting what the “schoolmaster” (the law) sets forth, as being correct regarding what is right and what is wrong? See Galatians 3:24

It appears that one must agree with the scripture conclusion of what sin is, in order to see the provision for that sin, which is Christ, Galatians 3:22.

To deny that the principles set forth in Old Testament laws are the right principles, is to thus deny the righteousness of Christ in having died for the transgression of those principles. If the principles set forth in the laws of the Old Testament are incorrect, then there would have been no sin committed for the transgression of those incorrect principles. If it is okay to live in violation of the principles God set forth in His laws, God sure messed up, the people were placed under unjust oppression under these laws, and Christ died in vain for the transgression of those laws. WHAT CONFUSION!

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Reverent Worship

(The only kind of true worship there is.)

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiates 5:1-2

THE BENEFIT OF REVERENT WORSHIP: “be more ready to hear” = hearing. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) A person can have ears to hear, and yet not be hearing God’s Word. Reverent worship calls for both regarding and making the response that God’s Word calls for.

THE PERSONAL DISCIPLINE REQUIRED FOR WORSHIP: “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God”, v1. God requires the individual to hold themselves responsible to have Christian conduct, yea, zeal and interest in themselves, to promote the reverent worship of God.

THE VIOLATIONS (VIOLATORS) OF WORSHIP: “…for they consider not that they do evil”, v1. Those who violate the sanctity of worship or fail to involve themselves, don’t see that they have a problem. They consider the “difference” between themselves and what is going on, just to be the hang-up of others. Many fail (care not) to perceive that what may be permissible conduct in secular gatherings, falls way short of the reverence, carefulness, attentiveness and holiness involved in the worship of God in spirit and in truth.

THE OPPONENTS OF WORSHIP: “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God”, v2. The attainment to reverent worship can be completely frustrated by the lack of depth, preparation and/or self-restraint. There needs to be prayer, study, forethought, and discrimination, so as to eliminate ramblings, confusion, error and imprudence. We are to diginify God, rather than just be given over to fitful impulse.

THE ATTAINMENT OF WORSHIP: “…for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth”, v2. The object of worship is to be in communion with God; to walk on holy ground; to partake of spiritual meat; to divest ourselves of all of our preoccupations and assumptions; to come to an open heart and mind to seek and receive what God has to convey.

REVERNT WORSHIP is so fundamental to the faith of Christianity, that we must not allow ourselves to become weak-kneed about it. DON’T let your kids develop habits of sleeping in church. WAKE THEM UP, and keep them awake. Teach them to worship God in church. To be a spiritual dead head in church is to let everything spiritual pass you by.

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The Bondage Of Love

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly.” Deuteronomy 7:3-4

Since love binds us to the one(s) we love, it is all important that we only allow ourselves to be bound to those who are right with God. Otherwise, the bond of our physical and emotional love will be a force to pull us away from what is right with God. We will consciously and unconsciously give our loyalty to the one(s) we love, because that is what love is and what love does.

Christ addressed this in Luke 14:26 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” This “hatred” refers to the necessary pulling back and away from all that will command a loyalty to something other than God and His Word. The first love that is to command the loyalty of our life, is to be our love for God above all else.

It was the bondage of love that compelled Adam to eat the forbidden fruit handed to him by his beloved wife, Eve, even though he knew it was contrary to God’s Word. This love gave him courage to ignore even the penalty of death for doing so.

It was the strength of the bond of love that resulted in Solomon’s heart being turned away from God, to be joined with the false worship of idolatry, in spite of his superior God given wisdom, 1 Kings 11:1-4.

It was due to the loyalty of Sapphira’s love for her husband, Ananias, that she became supportive of his grave spiritual error, see Acts 5:1-9.

Since God, being the author of love, knows the strength of the bond of love, He admonishes His children to make sure they do not yoke themselves together with those who are not right with God: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) An unbeliever is one who does not agree with God’s Word. “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

The greater the love, the greater the bondage–BE NOT DECEIVED!

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