When you reflect on salvation, it is quite common to wonder, “Am I worthy of heaven?” or you may wonder about it being unfair that God would bar your entrance from heaven.
The Event
Imagine for a moment, you were invited to a prestigious event where all who attended would be awarded a fortune. The only requirement for entrance was you had to follow the dress code by wearing a pure white outfit without any stains, marks or other imperfections.
On arriving at the event while exiting the car you trip and fall into a mud puddle and are completely covered in mud. You do your best to wipe the mud from your outfit. After wiping yourself down, you grab your extra diamond studded white jacket from the car to cover the mud. You smile to yourself and say, “not bad, I am looking sharp”
Upon arriving the bouncer looks you up and down and refuses you entry. You are shocked. “Don’t you know who I am? I am important and look at my fabulously expensive designer jacket I am wearing.”
He shrugs his shoulders and replies, “Sorry buddy, only perfection is allowed in here.”
Self Righteousness
Often we believe our actions make us worthy of heaven. In the mirror we may see ourselves as worthy of heaven. We feel we are good enough to have a relationship with God. We are thinking I am not really that bad. God must accept me. I am certainly better than a lot of other people.
However, our sin is a stain that will separate us from God. All who will enjoy the glory of God must meet God’s standard of righteousness which is to be without any blemish.
Our Resume
Let’s look at our resume and see if we are worthy of heaven. We are:
- sinners, falling short of the glory of God: —Romans 3:23 NKJV “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
- Without Strength: —Romans 5:6 NKJV “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
- Enemies of God: —Colossians 1:21 NKJV “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled”
- We are unrighteous: —Romans 3:10 NKJV “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;”
We may try to disguise our sin and dress it up in our “good works” but God sees the truth. As you can see, we fall way short of God’s standard of righteousness.
—Isaiah 64:6 NKJV “but we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;”
It is fruitless to try to approach God clothed in our own righteousness. Instead we must rely on His mercy and grace.
Mercy and Grace
God’s enduring love is our hope. Without His mercy and grace, we were on the express train to the Lake of Fire.
—Titus 3:5 NKJV “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”
Sin is a debt that is pulling us into the grave. It is important to realize we have this debt that we can never pay off. Given a million life times we still could never pay off this debt. The result of this debt is death.
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Enduring Love
By His wonderful mercy, God is offering us an eternity of love. It is not because we deserve it but because of His grace.
—Romans 5:8 NKJV “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
God is not only offering to forgive our sins but is offering to declare us righteous. This is only possible through Christ.
Debt Paid
God is making a away through Christ for all to receive salvation. This salvation is made possible by Christ. Through His suffering a path has been opened to God.
The Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is paying our debt for our sins. He had no sins of His own to die, so death did not have a claim on Him. While on the cross, He was dying in our place, paying the debt for our sins.
—1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NKJV “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
It is necessary for us to realize we are sinners and in order to be saved we need to place our faith in Christ for our salvation. By believing that Christ died for you and rose victorious from the grave, you will set free from the death penalty of sin.
Salvation offered to All
This act of salvation is freely being offered to all who place their faith in Christ. If you are ready to accept this wonderful gift, simply believe on what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for you on the cross.
—Acts 16:31 NKJV “So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.””
The beautiful thing about this gift, it is being universally offered to all.
—Romans 10:12–13 NKJV “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.””
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that he paid for your sins on the cross?