God’s ticket to heaven?
May 14, 2010
Case for Grace - part twenty-nine in a study of the book of Romans
Mike Gaudet
Righteousness is God’s “ticket to heaven.”
Find righteousness and you find eternal life.
“Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:5-13
There are two roads that advertise “The road to righteousness - heaven straight ahead.”
The righteousness-that-is-by-the-law road is a broad, one-way road that runs from earth to heaven. God’s commandments are posted. Obeying them moves you closer to Him.
The righteousness-that-is-by-faith road is a narrow, one-way road that runs from heaven to earth. God’s commitments are posted. Believing them moves you closer to Him.
The “by faith” road is the only road that leads to eternal life. God moves toward us on this road. For this reason, questions like, “Who will ascend into heaven?” and “Who will descend into the deep?” are out of place. These questions assume that God keeps His distance until we move towards Him. God spanned the gulf that separates you from Him . . . “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” We do not need to go to Him. He has come to us.
Religion has been defined as “man’s unsuccessful attempt to reach God.” Most religions feature a set of laws or rules that men and women need to keep in order to connect with God. Religion tells us that “The man who does these things will live by them.”
Religion commands us to “live by the law” and obey God in order to connect with Him.
Christianity has been defined as “God’s successful attempt to reach man.” Through the cross of Christ, God has successfully bridged the chasm between heaven and earth. Christianity tells us that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It tells us that “it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Christianity commands us to “live by faith” and believe what God says in order to connect with Him.
Trying to receive eternal life by obeying God’s Law is like trying to swim from America to Europe. Some will make it farther than others. No one will arrive.
Imagine diving into the Atlantic Ocean in order to swim to Europe. It doesn’t take long before you realize that you aren’t going to make it. Fatigue begins to take hold. Drowning seems inevitable. A fishing boat approaches and a fisherman offers to save you.
To begin with, he leans over the side of the boat and throws you a book explaining how to swim. Then he departs.
Is he your savior?
No! A savior does more than provide a manual explaining how to swim.
The fisherman returns to see that you are still in danger of drowning. He jumps into the water and begin to give you swimming lessons. After a short while he jumps back into his boat and speeds away.
Is he your savior?
No! A savior does more than show you how to swim.
A short while later, he returns to find that you are still in trouble. He hauls you into his boat and heads for Europe. Hundreds of miles off shore he tells you that “In appreciation for what I’ve done you need to swim the rest of the way.” He throws you back into the water.
Is he your savior?
No! A savior does more than take you part way to safety.
Finally, the fisherman returns and pulls you back into the boat. He takes you all the way to shore.
Is he your savior?
Yes! A savior delivers you safely to your destination.
Jesus did not come to the earth to . . .
. . . give you the Bible as a manual on how to live.
. . . show you how to live a godly life.
. . . save you until you become strong enough to save yourself.
God the Father sent His Son to the earth . . .
. . . to be your Savior.