One Minute After You Die - Part 2
By Erwin W. Lutzer
Here is an example of two funerals I conducted. The first was that of a Christian woman who had distinguished herself by a life of sacrificial service for Christ. The triumph of the family was striking; there was irrepressible joy mixed with the sorrow.
The second was that of an apparent unbeliever who was killed in a highway accident. The grief of the relatives was marked by the desperation and hopelessness. They refused to be comforted.
Every one of us wants to make wise investments, to get the best for our money. The best investments are those that are safe and permanent; if we are wise, we will spend our time preparing for that which lasts forever. What is life but preparation for eternity?
Think of travelers planning a trip. How many of them are giving at least that much attention to their final destination? How many are reading the guidebook, studying the map and trying to learn the language of heaven. Europe and Hawaii seem so much more real than the unseen realm of the dead.
Don't imagine for a moment that you will get to heaven without the right credentials. You will not be there because your wife has the right to enter; you will not b there because you have a child who is already there. No, this is an individual matter. No one can enter into heaven without God's specific approval. Our problem, of course, is that God will not accept us as we are. We cannot come to heaven's gate hoping for lenience. We cannot come pleading for special favors once we have slipped through the parted curtain. "Visas" are not available on the other side of the border.
So what are God's requirements? How perfect do you have to be to enter into heaven? Quiet simply: as perfect as God. In fact, if you are not as perfect as He is don't even think that you will enter into the Kingdom of heaven!
The question, of course, is, How can we as sinners be as perfect as God? The answer: God is able to make us righteous; His righteousness can be credited to our account so that we can enter into heaven immediately at death without so much as an intermediate stop.
When Christ died on the cross, He demanded a sacrifice for sinners. Which God accepted. Though Christ was perfect, God made Him legally guilty of all our sins. In turn, we receive His righteousness. He made Him who knew no sin (Christ) be to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" 2 Corinthians 5:21.
What grace!
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