Richard Daughtridge Director
Going to Heaven? Is there life after death? By Richard Daughtridge
A very popular song in the sixties was, “Oh where can my Baby Be”.
The lyrics said, “Oh where Oh Where can my baby be. The Lord took her away from me. She’s gone to Heaven so I have to be good so I can see my baby when I leave this world.”
It provoked the listeners to address some real life questions about Heaven and how to get there .
The one line said, “I‘ve got to be good so I can see my baby when I leave this world.” The implication is that the way to Heaven or eternal life after death is being good.
We’ve been told since childhood, “If we are good God will be pleased and will take us to Heaven, but if we are bad the Devil will get you.” Is this true?
Will we ever reach the merit level or be good enough to go to Heaven?
The Bible teaches that it is through grace (unmerited favor) and love (agape unconditional love) that we are ushered into a relationship with God. Both are received through faith (hearing, believing and accepting).
“Our going to Heaven has nothing to do with our being good. It has everything to do with God’s goodness to us.”
Romans 5:6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 4:24-25
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; [25] Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Cor. 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Goodness is given to us in seed form as part of our rebirth. We accept this love and favor through faith, which is the medium of exchange that God uniquely uses to connect us once again to the spiritual world in which He lives. Regeneration (new spiritual birth) is a work of grace that happens as we believe and accept this gift when hearing the message that God wants to have a relationship with us. (gospel)
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Titus 3:7
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
“Our going to Heaven has nothing to do with our being good. It has everything to do with God’s goodness to us.”
True or False?
This writer has come to the conclusion that we through faith have been justified (made acceptable to again be in God’s presence), spiritually reborn (our spirit which died in the fall of man has been now recreated), and have been given eternal life (where we will live with God our Father forever).
This is only the beginning
We now being reunited with God spiritually are empowered to live a life on earth in a way that pleases Him. When we mess up he doesn’t throw us away. He forgives us and as we grow, we get stronger in our faith to overcome temptation and honor Him with our life.
We did not start this journey alone and neither can we finish it without God. While we are excited about going to Heaven, God has called us to become a part in the efforts to share this good news with man. Those of us that have accepted His forgiveness, while we live on this earth now become earthly representative of Heaven.
Yes we’ll one day go to Heaven but for now Christ is allowing us to be the salt of the earth, the light in darkness. In reality for the time being Heaven is coming to us. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
This kingdom is critical if we are to live out the heavenly values in a fallen world. We all know how sinful we are. It will take heavenly influence to help us change. Again, we are no longer alone, but God’s Spirit is within us. Yielding to God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and God’s Church is critical to fulfill that purpose.
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Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 6:11-12
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
The Faith that helped us start this journey will now helps us continue it. God even sends His Spirit to live in us and help us with this metamorphous of change. In our life before we were born again spiritually we did not have power to change. Now the life we live by our choice through the help of God’s Spirit is our gift back to the Father that loved us first.
Romans 8:14-16
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. [15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
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