When I am sharing the Gospel with someone there are a few very revealing questions that I love to ask. First I will ask, “What do you believe will happen to you after you die?” You might be surprised at the wild responses I have heard to this one over the years. But honestly, even in our secularized world, the most common response I receive is that they think they will go to heaven. To which I follow-up by asking, “And why do you think you will go there?” And 99 out of 100 times I will get some answer that refers to something they have done, that they believe has earned them the right to go there. “I was baptized,” “I am a member at ‘such and such’ church,” “I try to help others in need,” or “I am a pretty good person” are the most frequent responses I’ve heard. Sometimes I will also hear, “I prayed to receive Jesus into my heart,” “I pray every day,” or “I’ve read the Bible.” All of these answers might seem noble at the outset, but they all reveal a misplaced emphasis and show a misunderstanding about what truly saves a person.
There are some blatant and striking things missing from most people’s concept of salvation. Namely, almost no one I speak to refers to the saving work of Jesus Christ or His substitutional atonement for sin. Their answers often rather reveal that they aren’t trusting in that work at all. They are relying on their own morality, or their own experiences, or their own religiosity to save them in the end. To declare salvation on the basis of any merit of our own is heresy because the Bible is clear that no man is saved by such things:
Eph. 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Rom. 9:16 – “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
Rom. 11:6a – “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace…”
When I share these truths with people, some of them get offended and they shut down the conversation. There are others who respond differently, they will backtrack and affirm that they too believe in salvation by grace alone. But I am often troubled by this response because it appears as if they are motivated to simply agree with the doctrinal truth, while it is clear from their earlier answer that it is not what they are truly trusting in. I’m left to wonder how many people might affirm the truth with their lips, but who really have no saving understanding of that truth and no real faith in their hearts.
The truth is that many people are deceived into thinking heaven awaits them, while the real means to inheriting eternal life is completely lost on them. O that God would reveal to you the truth of the matter! Are you saved by grace? Be careful not to answer too quickly. Ask the Lord to examine your heart, to reveal if there are any misplaced beliefs within you. On the last day, only those who are truly clothed in the righteousness of Christ, by grace through faith, will be granted entrance into God’s eternal rest. All others, no matter how “moral,” no matter how religious, no matter how much they prayed or read the Bible, will be cast away to eternal punishment in hell. What will happen to you after you die?
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