IF GOD IS GOOD, THEN EVERYONE GETS TO HEAVEN!

How many times have I heard the argument that if God is a God of love, then everyone should be able to get to heaven. Especially if it’s someone they know and love, and if that person is a ‘good person’.

I was muddling on that one recently and a few scenarios came to mind…

A man is applying to the RCMP. He passed the aptitude tests. He passed the interview. Now he is being required to submit to a lengthy assessment – some call it Deviant Testing – to assess his suitability. Is that reasonable? I think we all agree that we don’t want just anybody wearing that uniform! Restricting who can be an RCMP officer is critical given the authority such a person has, and the expectations and trust our citizens place in the RCMP.

People from other countries often seek refugee status to be allowed to come into and live in our country. The immigration department screens their stories, looks into their history, checks on past behavior to see if they are safe and productive, or if their presence would drain our resources, or put our communities at risk. If so, they can’t come.

Couples decide they want to adopt a child. The assessment of criminal and child protection history checks, the many hours of interviews and home study assessments take months before it is decided if they are suitable to take another person’s child and raise it as their own. Again, given the vulnerability of a little one, we consider this a reasonable expectation.

But what of heaven? We look forward to it as the perfect place, where there is peace, goodness, joy… ‘No tears in heaven’! Why then do so many think everyone who appears to be good and kind should be able to go there without any criteria other than the fact that those who love them think they deserve it? How often have people I love gotten into serious trouble, or done terrible things I didn’t know they were capable of? Maybe I’m not such a great judge of character.

Even so, people still think that the God of the Bible who screens entrance into heaven is an unreasonable, judgmental, critical God.

But hold on just a minute! How much more reasonable is He? Our RCMP, our Immigration, our Child Welfare system all say that, based on who your life has created you to be, we have the right to reject you on the basis that you aren’t suitable for a particular position. We say this based on our historical knowledge of how badly things can go for all concerned when a person is allowed access to places or people who doesn’t have the moral character to live up to the expectations of the position.

God is so much better than that, though! God says He won’t reject us based on our history, based on our weaknesses. Instead, He says He’ll put the Holy Spirit in the heart of any applicant, any refugee, any person with a past, no matter how terrible. All that person has to do is ask for it, and He’ll “fit us for heaven to live with Him there”!

How amazing is that!