Jesus
saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go
into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of
righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots
believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye
might believe him. Matthew
21:31-32 (KJV)
I know a very special young woman who was abused in
her past. When the subject comes up, she insists that the
man who abused her deserves to burn in Hell for all eternity and she doesn’t
want anything to do with a God who would forgive that man. How can it be that
serial killers and rapists can repent of their sins and be saved by grace? Is
that justice?
We all deserve to die.
We all deserve Hell, because we have all sinned. You don’t get to count your
sins and hope that you “make it” in under the wire. It doesn’t work that way.
One sin is worthy of death. And the only way to pay for your sins is through
repenting and accepting of the grace of God through Jesus’
sacrifice on the cross. There will be many sinners in heaven and many who
thought themselves righteous who do not make it. Sounds unbelievable, but the
bible is clear on this point:
Jesus
said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to show you the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
him.
Matthew
21:31-32 (NIV)
Are you concerned with earning your way into heaven?
Have you sinned too much to be acceptable to God? Do you believe that if you
have sinned less than others, you must be okay with God?
