What if I’m Not Good Enough for Heaven?

The vast majority of Christian belief systems may have a problem. What do they do with the billions of humanity who aren’t true followers of Jesus, but they aren’t terrible people either? These billions try to live a good life by being decent and kind to one another. Many of these have not heard the name of Jesus in any meaningful way. Can we say that God will destroy them for essentially being born in the wrong time and place? That doesn’t make sense! Can we say that they go to heaven when they die? That doesn’t make sense either. Jesus taught us that going to heaven is a call that is difficult and requires deliberate choices. God loves humanity so much that he sent His only son Jesus as our ransom. That being the case, what does happen to those billions who are not good enough for heaven? Who are the “good” people? The idea that all good people go to heaven cannot be even remotely defended from the Bible. According to Jesus’ own words, following him requires one to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him daily. This is no recipe that the masses of good-hearted humanity would ever sign up for. Fortunately, the Bible does clearly describe the fate of those whose destination is not heaven. Here’s a big hint:  this destination is not some burning place of torment either. Everyone was condemned to sin and death, but… Romans chapter 5 is perhaps one of the most detailed explanations of the destiny of all humanity in the entire Bible. The chapter begins with Paul speaking about true Christianity and the amazing gift of grace they have all been given. He then shifts his focus and talks about the entire race of humanity being condemned to sin and death because of Adam. Paul’s undeniable point is that Jesus’ sacrifice unequivocally included every single person who was ever born in Adam. He says that Jesus’ righteous sacrifice gave every one of them “justification of life,” according to Romans 5:18. So, what does that mean? How does that work? To be “justified” is to be made right before God. Obviously, the people of the world in all of their sin and godlessness are not now in any way made right before God. The Bible tells us this being made right will be as a result of their resurrection. But doesn’t the Day of Judgment happen then? Yes, it does! So, how does this all fit together? Check out our May 30, 2022 podcast, “What if I’m Not Good Enough for Heaven?” for details. We focus in on what the Bible reveals is in store for those who are not heaven bound. We weigh the blessing of their resurrection against the weight of their coming accountability. What we find is a logical and revealing process of how God’s plan works for and not against them. Join us as we unfold the several similarities and major differences between salvation for Jesus’ followers and for everybody else.