“He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18, NKJV.
Human beings have a bent toward things that are forbidden. For example, if the speed limit is 25mph, we think we can safely do 30mph without getting a ticket. Right? Ask me how I know… Our disobedient tendencies are simply part of our human nature. Adam and Eve were the first people to disobey God but not the last. From birth until death, every human being since that heartbreaking incident in the Garden of Eden carries the defective gene God calls “sin.” Before you get upset with our ancestor’s, please know, if you or I had been the first humans in the garden, we would have gone “apple picking” just like them!
According to a recent news article, an apparent standoff between two opposing groups of people in Texas got heated. One group gathered in support of a local “church” who were promoting views deemed very controversial in the current social war, while the other group, many who professed traditional Christian values knelt in prayer. Individuals from both groups held signs suggesting that those who did not agree with their grievances were “going to hell!” Sadly, I wondered if the declaration was more wishful thinking than being grounded in biblical knowledge? You see, only God can determine one’s eternal destiny because God alone is all-knowing. Only God knows the intentions of the human heart.
For certain, our actions on earth will always have earthly consequences, many of them resulting in pain. History is proof alone of this fact. Some consequences involving pain are self-inflicted, other’s result in collateral damage. But the Bible is very clear about how to enter heaven, and it has nothing to do with what we have done, neither good nor bad, rather it is about Who can save us. That “Who” is Jesus Christ. If sinlessness by human effort were the criteria for entrance into heaven, hell would be overcrowded and heaven empty, except for the Triune Head, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Today, will you invite Jesus into your heart? He is waiting to hear from you.”