What Are You Depending on to Get Into Heaven?

Recently, I heard an illustration that helps us understand a bit better what it takes to get into heaven. But before I relate the illustration, allow me to say there is only one doorway to heaven, and that doorway is Jesus Christ. If you are depending upon anyone or anything else to get you into heaven, you will be sorely disappointed when judgment day arrives for you. Jesus told His disciples, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really know me , you will know the Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him,"(John 14:6).

With John 14:6 in mind we have another question; What does Jesus mean when He says the word "know"? While speaking of the Great White Throne Judgment, where the lost will be judged for their unbelief, Jesus explained to the disciples, "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ",(Matthew 7:21-23).

When Jesus used the word "know" in he meant the He will know us in the context of His Holy Spirit living in the temple of our bodies. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, the Apostle Paul said, "19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." So when we trust Jesus for our salvation, we are "clothed" with His Holy Spirit who comes to live in our bodies.

With this in mind, I will now relate the illustration I promised. Imagine you are taking your wife out to dinner at the finest restaurant in town. She is dressed to the nine's and though you are clean and neatly dressed, you are in casual attire. When you get to the restaurant the Maiter 'D stops you and will not allow you inside. When you complain, he points to the sign which says, "You May Enter Only if You Wear a Dinner Jacket". So you are upset. The Maiter 'D stops you and says, "We understand you were not aware of our dress policy, and there are many others just like you." He then offers you a jacket. Now you have to make a decision about whether you will humble yourself and put the jacket on, or try to get in on your own without the jacket. That's the way it is about entering heaven. If you don't put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, if you try to get in own your own merits, you will never enter heaven! But if you humble yourself to receive Christ's way of simple faith and trust, you may enter heaven and eternal life in Him. It's up to you! Will you humble yourself and take the sacrifice jesus made to save you soul, or will you try to make it in on your own righteousness?