Are You Good Enough?
How Do You Know for Sure?
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The million dollar question is How does one get to heaven? The prerequisite is death, and for that we seem to all agree. But after that let the speculation begin. For many life is much too busy to even think about this right now. I mean life is pretty full right now to even bother thinking that far ahead. Life has to be lived, jobs have to be done, kids have to be fed, my tv program has to be watched and I do have to sleep at least 1/3 of the day. There is just no time to think about this right now. Isn't that what we believe even if we don't come out and say it?
When I was on vacation I read a book by Andy Stanley called "How Good is Good Enough?" In his book he brings up some very good logical points that I believe many have not thought thru. Many times I hear that if one is "good enough" they can enter heaven. Obviously that is a very common belief and one that Stanley tackles in his book.
Most people believe that once you die your soul goes somewhere. Most believe in heaven, some believe in hell. In spite of all the differences out there, all share one common denominator: how you live on this side of eternity determines where you spend eternity on the other side.
If God appeared to you at the gate and asked you "Why should I allow you into heaven? how would you answer? Most people no matter if they are Christian, Hindu, or Muslim would answer with:
"I always do .......
"I never have done........."
I've done more good than bad....."
"I've tried my best to be......."
The majority of answers recall living a good life, and living a good life is another prerequisite for heaven. So then we need only to behave ourselves now and we can reach heaven. Now back to our lives.
But as you get older, you start to think more often about it even if you find yourself pushing it away from your mind. Maybe you get some bad health news, or you go to yet another funeral. Maybe it's going to a birthday party or maybe it's your own birthday that gets you to thinking about eternity. You may not talk about it, but it's there.
The mortality rate for humans is 100%, and as we get older it becomes more evident in our minds. As good as we can be, and we usually think we're pretty good, we can't really be sure we're good enough. We can hope so. But how can we know for sure? Where's the line? The standard? Is there enough time to do more good deeds to counterbalance the bad ones? Who decides? If it's God, shouldn't he have been a bit more clearer about how all this works? A mile marker would do or a mid term would be helpful.
But hey we have religion and their many books to help us right? We have teachers, preachers, rabbis, priests, lamas and they are all in the business of getting us to the other side. Ok, so why are we still unsure? Many even tho they have been religiously taught one way or the other are still not confident in their standing before God. Stanley puts a quote in his book from Gandhi showing that even Gandhi couldn't find certainty in religion. If he couldn't be sure can we? When questioned why he proselytized in the arena of politics but not religion Gandhi said:
"In the realm of the political and social and economic, we can be sufficiently certain to convert; but in the realm of religion there is not sufficient certainty to convert anybody, and therefore, there can be no coversions in religions."
Even what we would consider the salt of the earth people here, can sometimes have no idea where they will spend eternity of if they are good enough to enter. The best they can say is "I hope so." Why is that? If the nicest, kindest, most loving people we know here on earth can't know for sure how can we? Why don't they know? Because nobody can tell you how good you have to be to go to heaven. Nobody.
In his book Stanley talks of making dangerous assumptions. For many of us we go to bed assuming we will wake up in the morning. We don't worry about waking up to smoke filled bedrooms because we have smoke alarms. We feel safe. But do we test them? Do our extinquishers work? Do we test them? Or do we assume they work? Yet in spite of our lack of investigation we go to bed every night under the assumption that our family is safe. Since most think they are good, they go to bed assuming that if they were to die in their sleep (it happens) they would find themselves standing at the pearly gates hoping they have the right answers or enough good deeds to get in.
How many of us even take the time to test the assumption that good people go to heaven? Are we too busy? After all the logic seems fair. If you do well, you deserve good things. It's a reward for good behavior. After all, this action and reaction relationship is illustrated in all the religions. The Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, Ellen White's Books etc. all tell of God's eagerness to reward good behavior in this life. So it only seems fair if you do well here, you go to heaven. Plain and simple.
Also it's logical to assume that if God is good and dwells in a good place, then it makes sense that God would surround himself with good people. Bad people wouldn't go to heaven. That's not logical. Don't we think that? We tell our kids if they're good they can go to a very special event or be treated to a very special place as a reward for good behavior.
While we know we're not perfect, at the same time we feel as though we are good enough for heaven. The truth is very few people that believe in life after this earthly one believe they aren't going to a better place. Almost 90% of Americans believe in heaven while only about 30% believe in a hell. Most that believe in hell don't think they are going there.
What other view could there be? Bad people go to heaven? Nope, can't be. Unthinkable. All the experts can't be that off can they?
I'd like to look at that next time.
"
When I was on vacation I read a book by Andy Stanley called "How Good is Good Enough?" In his book he brings up some very good logical points that I believe many have not thought thru. Many times I hear that if one is "good enough" they can enter heaven. Obviously that is a very common belief and one that Stanley tackles in his book.
Most people believe that once you die your soul goes somewhere. Most believe in heaven, some believe in hell. In spite of all the differences out there, all share one common denominator: how you live on this side of eternity determines where you spend eternity on the other side.
If God appeared to you at the gate and asked you "Why should I allow you into heaven? how would you answer? Most people no matter if they are Christian, Hindu, or Muslim would answer with:
"I always do .......
"I never have done........."
I've done more good than bad....."
"I've tried my best to be......."
The majority of answers recall living a good life, and living a good life is another prerequisite for heaven. So then we need only to behave ourselves now and we can reach heaven. Now back to our lives.
But as you get older, you start to think more often about it even if you find yourself pushing it away from your mind. Maybe you get some bad health news, or you go to yet another funeral. Maybe it's going to a birthday party or maybe it's your own birthday that gets you to thinking about eternity. You may not talk about it, but it's there.
The mortality rate for humans is 100%, and as we get older it becomes more evident in our minds. As good as we can be, and we usually think we're pretty good, we can't really be sure we're good enough. We can hope so. But how can we know for sure? Where's the line? The standard? Is there enough time to do more good deeds to counterbalance the bad ones? Who decides? If it's God, shouldn't he have been a bit more clearer about how all this works? A mile marker would do or a mid term would be helpful.
But hey we have religion and their many books to help us right? We have teachers, preachers, rabbis, priests, lamas and they are all in the business of getting us to the other side. Ok, so why are we still unsure? Many even tho they have been religiously taught one way or the other are still not confident in their standing before God. Stanley puts a quote in his book from Gandhi showing that even Gandhi couldn't find certainty in religion. If he couldn't be sure can we? When questioned why he proselytized in the arena of politics but not religion Gandhi said:
"In the realm of the political and social and economic, we can be sufficiently certain to convert; but in the realm of religion there is not sufficient certainty to convert anybody, and therefore, there can be no coversions in religions."
Even what we would consider the salt of the earth people here, can sometimes have no idea where they will spend eternity of if they are good enough to enter. The best they can say is "I hope so." Why is that? If the nicest, kindest, most loving people we know here on earth can't know for sure how can we? Why don't they know? Because nobody can tell you how good you have to be to go to heaven. Nobody.
In his book Stanley talks of making dangerous assumptions. For many of us we go to bed assuming we will wake up in the morning. We don't worry about waking up to smoke filled bedrooms because we have smoke alarms. We feel safe. But do we test them? Do our extinquishers work? Do we test them? Or do we assume they work? Yet in spite of our lack of investigation we go to bed every night under the assumption that our family is safe. Since most think they are good, they go to bed assuming that if they were to die in their sleep (it happens) they would find themselves standing at the pearly gates hoping they have the right answers or enough good deeds to get in.
How many of us even take the time to test the assumption that good people go to heaven? Are we too busy? After all the logic seems fair. If you do well, you deserve good things. It's a reward for good behavior. After all, this action and reaction relationship is illustrated in all the religions. The Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, Ellen White's Books etc. all tell of God's eagerness to reward good behavior in this life. So it only seems fair if you do well here, you go to heaven. Plain and simple.
Also it's logical to assume that if God is good and dwells in a good place, then it makes sense that God would surround himself with good people. Bad people wouldn't go to heaven. That's not logical. Don't we think that? We tell our kids if they're good they can go to a very special event or be treated to a very special place as a reward for good behavior.
While we know we're not perfect, at the same time we feel as though we are good enough for heaven. The truth is very few people that believe in life after this earthly one believe they aren't going to a better place. Almost 90% of Americans believe in heaven while only about 30% believe in a hell. Most that believe in hell don't think they are going there.
What other view could there be? Bad people go to heaven? Nope, can't be. Unthinkable. All the experts can't be that off can they?
I'd like to look at that next time.
"
), since 6500 years ago they were as far from Adam as you can imagine. you cant go from Adam to Minah, development-wise even in 100,000 yrs.