"Be good and you'll get to heaven!" is the mantra we've heard all our lives and yet, we've got it backwards. What we should be hearing is Because you're going to heaven, show your thanks by being good. In other words- we're going. We're going?!How can that be, isn't there a requirement, a hoop to jump through a list of good deeds to fulfill, a perfect life on earth required? As much as some teachers would have that the case so they could control you, the answer is Yes and no. That's a paradox which means a question can be answered yes and no and they both work. See Paradox on the Home Page for further explanation.
The requirement is that you believe; believe you're going to heaven because it's a free gift. Jesus' addresses the question requirement and deeds simultaneously:
John 6:28-9:
Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"
Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
You mean the act of believing is a good deed, in this case referred to as works? Yes. It's a bit more involved than that but we'll get there in a minute. Let's talk about the impossibility of a perfect life on earth. Jesus addresses the issue:
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Whoa, that's a lot harder than believing something, even if that something is too good to believe. You know what they say If it's too good to believe, it is. Ah, more on that in a moment. First let's talk about perfect. The Greek word is teleios (pronounced tel'-i-os) which means complete in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc. Why most Bibles translate it perfect is beyond me. I've seen it expressed as merciful in commentaries which is much more palatable. Yet, it doesn't quite ring the bell either because it doesn't address the state of mind as the completeness of labor, growth, etc. In that sense the word perfect applies in terms of reaching a certain maturity, which makes more sense to me. But if this is the first time you've seen Matthew 5:48, or you've wondered for a long time how Jesus could possibly expect the impossible, thereby setting us up for a fall if we try it; you now can munch on this discussion and see how it fits in your life.
Regarding too good to be true. This is the one exception to the wise idiom regarding it. It has to be a paradox in order to be to good to be true. Simple as that. So simple it's hard. Another paradox.
There is a passage in the Bible that answers all the questions of how, what and why. It's Ephesians 2:8-10. This is from the mouth of Paul:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God--
not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Ah, so it's a bit more than believing, it's a matter of some help in the form of grace through faith that gets the job of transformation (salvation therefore heaven) done. That's right, it isn't about me, it's about my relationship with God and how that two-way street works. I ask for help, I get it and act upon it. There's little credit I can take except I chose to cooperate with God's plan for me. If it were any different I could boast about it which would bring my ego into play, and that's a no-no.
Now, what about good deeds. Is isn't as though they aren't expected, but better yet, they're laid out for us to walk in. The human portion of the Trinity steps in and tells us we are created in Christ Jesus for good works; meaning, the human Jesus told us everything we need to know about believing and behavior which then becomes the model for what good deeds represents. And better yet, we don't have to think about it! We don't have to prepare a list of as helping little old ladies across the street, or visiting nursing homes. Not that they aren't good deeds, but are they in the plan? The plan was prepared beforehand to be our way of life by God himself and all we have to do is walk in it. Isn't that amazing?
What it doesn't address of course is those who don't try, those who never heard of God or Jesus and those situations that are out of the ordinary. That's a hard call and it goes into the "too hard basket". That's to discuss that which isn't our job: soul-saving. That's the job of God's Spirit of unity so let's let that play out providentially. Let not that burden you, you've got plenty on your plate the way it is.
To review: the gift of eternal life, transformation, heaven, salvation are all the same, and they're attainable through faith on our part that grace on God's part makes happen. This cooperative effort places choices at my disposal that, should I make them, my end of the two way street is in motion and couples with God's grace to seal the deal. Through prayer and meditation (and intuition) I will be made aware of what deeds are in store for me that I may walk in them to show my appreciation for the free gift.
The hard part is to believe that which is too good to believe. What's in the way are the lessons we've been taught and self-taught regarding fear, guilt and sacrifice. They are like fixed heavy curtains that obscure the simple and obvious. The lessons are two: 1) God's lesson is that to be guiltless is to live in a world without fear; 2) the world's lesson is that we are afraid, therefore continually guilty, with no alternative but to subscribe to a set of man-made laws which in turn increase the fear/guilt syndrome with the added attraction of control. We choose to listen to our teachers who teach divided roles which is the exact opposite of what unity teaches.
As we hear we answer.
The time has come for you to take leadership in determining your earthly life and beyond. Be still an instant, review the process I explain elsewhere in this blog (Idols I) and put it in play. When you're in the process you will hear a different message; one you understand, one not fear-filled, one based on the eternal truth of unity.
Give it a try, you've got something to lose? How's it going so far with what you have? C'mon, let God in your life and allow yourself to mature in your perfection.
Blessings Always,
Vern Schanilec
PS: How so profound a message as that of Paul's in Ephesians isn't shouted from the rooftops by our teachers is mind-boggling. Why would anyone want to teach fear, guilt and whatnot instead of the good news of transformation, is more than boggling.
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