by Don Davidson

Created on: January 24, 2010

If you understood what Heaven is really all about, you would see what a silly question this really is.  God did not make Heaven to reward us for being good. He made Heaven to allow us to be in eternal relationship with Him.  How do I know this? I have studied God’s Word.

The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about Heaven, unless you put much stock in the extreme symbolism of Revelation, with its streets of gold and pearly gates (Revelation 21:21). However, the Bible does tell us at least two things about Heaven: (1) those who get there will be immortal (see, for example, 1 Peter 1:3-4, or 2 Corinthians 5:1-4); and (2) those who get there “shall always be with God” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There we will see Him face-to-face, just as He is, and will come to know Him fully (1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 John 3:2). God will be among us, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4; see also Revelation 7:17, which is similar). In Heaven we will have a closer relationship with God than we can imagine.

So who will make it to Heaven? That is ultimately something for God to decide, but the New Testament teaches that the one certain way to get there is to be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Now this has very little to do with being “good,” but it has everything to do with trust. As anyone who has ever been married can attest, you cannot be in a close relationship with someone you cannot trust. That is why the New Testament (and the Old Testament as well) places such a heavy emphasis on faith. When the New Testament speaks of “faith” or “belief,” the Greek word is pisteuô or pistis, which means to trust, to rely upon, or to commit yourself to someone. When we place our faith in God, we find that He is trustworthy, and that builds our relationship with Him. Thus, Paul insisted that salvation must come through faith, rather than by doing good works. (See for example, Romans 3:28 and 2 Timothy 3:15.) This faith then leads to love.

The greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:28-30; Matthew 22:36-39). We are told to love our neighbor (Mark 12:31; Matthew 22:39), and even our enemies (Luke 6:27-35). The Greek is agapaô, which is unselfish, self-giving love. This is the way God loves us. This is the love He wants to share with us in Heaven. It has nothing to do with being “good.”

So being good will not get you into Heaven, but being bad might keep you out, because disobedience breaks down the relationship—not from God’s side, for His love is unconditional, but from ours. When we follow our own desires and ignore what God says is best for us, we estrange ourselves from Him. Just look at the story of Adam and Eve. When they disobeyed God, they hid themselves from Him (see Genesis 3:8). Their relationship with God was broken. When we disobey God, brokenness follows, bringing with it selfishness, bitterness, cruelty, resentment, grudges, etc. How can God possibly permit such things to enter Heaven? It would no longer be Heaven.

To reach Heaven, we must re-establish our relationship with God and fix that brokenness. The one sure way to do that is through Jesus Christ. When we surrender our lives to Christ, He begins to heal that relationship, bringing about that closeness with God that He always intended. But He will not force Himself upon us. He lets us choose. I hope you will choose the path that leads to God and Heaven.

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