Why should i let you in my kingdom....
was pondering over how i would respond to this question from god when its time. i'm afraid i better have more than just me believing his son was sent to save me. what am i doing to make him smile & welcome me into his kingdom? are there reasons he wouldn't smile? was just pondering this thought earlier.
1 Comments:
I've thought about this same question! And I think I have come up with the answer:
"You shouldn't."
I think any answer but this one is insufficient. Our standing before the Lord on judgement day is first and foremost a matter of legality. Any judge in any courtroom in America would tell you that it doesn't matter what a "good person" you are- (like that gang leader who started the crypts who is now writing childrens books and pleading to be let off of death row-)if you break the law of the land, you must pay the penalty- which in our case, is pretty serious- "the wages of sin is death."
We deserve death. Our just penalty is death. So why should God allow us into heaven? Because we did "good things" too- not just bad things- hopefully more good than bad? Well, if we are Bible beliving people we must acknowledge that Romans 3:10 is true when is says that "No one is righteous, not even one." Even "the best obedience of our hands dares not appear before his throne" (to quote a great caedmon's call song)- because we are yuckily motivated people. Tainted and selfish. We are so sinful that a lot of time we do things thinking they are good and really they are terrible. When Jesus was telling his disciples that he was going to suffer and die, Peter says (in Matt. 16) "Never, Lord!" This shall never happen to you!" And Jesus says back to him, "get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Sheesh! In my opinion, Peter was doing a pretty dog-on good thing! He was saying that he didn't want Christ to be crucified- he wanted him to live. He loved him. And Jesus calls him satan because of it. Are you kidding me. It seems like Peter was doing the very best thing anybody ever COULD do- prevent Jesus the innocent one from going through the torture of being beaten and crucified. And yet- it was sinful to try to stop that.
Well then, what hope do we have if the good that we do is no good at all?
Well, the very answer lies in what Jesus did. And this is where my answer to God's question of "why should I let you in my kingdom?" gets a twist-
I do not deserve to get into heaven. At all.
Jesus died that day the death that I deserved. He paid my wages- the penalty- the cost of MY sin. But he didn't stop there. In Romans 3:21-31 we learn that Christ not only took our punishment, but gave us HIS perfect righteousness.
If we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are judged on HIS record of service. His deeds. His works. When we stand before the father and he asks, "why should I let you in my kingdom?" and we reply, "you shouldn't" Jesus will step out and say, "he's with me." Can you imagine that moment? Wow.
Post a Comment
<< Home