Heaven Or Not?

I have been seeing this 15-second commercial on TV recently. It is a picture of the sky above the clouds and the words, “When you die, are you going to heaven or not? You can know for sure. Heaven or not.net.” 

Purchasing commercial time is very expensive. Someone is dedicated, and the subject matter could not be more important! As an ’80s song put it, we are living in a material world. Many do not think deeply enough about what happens after this life. A website dedicated to the very subject had me hopeful.

Visiting the website, I was impressed with the number of Scriptures used and the effort to use the Bible for every single point made. They cover the biblical explanation for our origin, the reliability of Scripture, the problem of sin, the sacrifice of Christ, and the need of salvation. I say biblical because they cite Scripture in each of these subject areas.

Please believe me when I say that I want to endorse and commend this website. I do not know who is behind it, other than the site “God Life,” a well-put-together website full of resources. But there were at least two erroneous statements made which contradict what the Bible teaches.

First, they claim that we are born with sin. Introducing the problem of sin, they write, “That makes it (heaven, NP) a problem for us…because we sin. It is our heritage. We are born with it.” We are born into a sinful world. Eventually, every one of us make the choice to sin. Their next statement, Romans 3:23, is correct. But it is different to say that “all have sinned” and that we are all born with sin. Ezekiel 18:4,20 state the truth that the son does not “bear the punishment of the father’s iniquity.” Teaching that we are born in sin is communicating the false idea that we inherit Adam’s sin. We surely inherit a fallen world because of his choice (Rom. 5:12), but as surely do not inherit his guilt. Our guilt comes through our own accountability. A newborn or small child is not accountable.

Second, their suggested remedy for addressing our sin problem in order to go to heaven is one of the most egregious religious errors formulated by religious people: “the sinner’s prayer.” They urge the reader to pray, “Dear God…I know I have sinned against you. Please forgive me.
I receive Jesus…your only Son…right now as Savior of my life…having died to pay for my sins.
Thank you for forgiving my sins…and for my new life.I pray this prayer in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!” 

They are right to say that going to heaven means “you have to receive God’s gift of forgiveness and acceptance,” but wrong to suggest something that we have no biblical teaching or example for. The very first time Jesus was preached and the listeners asked what they should do, Peter could have given the counsel in the paragraph above. But he did not. He called for repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38), and those who gladly received the word did just that (Act 2:41). Please consider Mark 16:16, John 3:3-5, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:1-4, Galatians 3:26-27, Ephesians 4:4-6, Colossians 2:12, Titus 3:5, and 1 Peter 3:21. 

All these passages show us that receiving God’s gift of forgiveness and acceptance goes beyond saying a prayer. It requires doing what people did in the first-century, when the gospel began to be preached and people first sought to do what they were taught. We need biblical example and teaching to adequately answer these sincere people’s powerful question.