Academics vs. Spirituality! It’s All About The Plan!
It’s been a while since we’ve had Christianity 101. Here we go.
I grew up in church all my life and was pretty sheltered and still today; some things are so surprising to me, after all these years of serving God. I am always amazed when I hear people put everybody that dies in heaven. It is absolutely amazing! How do people claim to be Christians their entire life and believe that ALL people are going to heaven, and the only criterion to get there is dying?
What is really amazing is the people who do all manner of wrong and evil and sin and anything they want – not even trying to serve God – but then go to church on Sunday, clap their hands, bounce to the music, get an emotional/spiritual high, feel good about what is going on around them and then…because of that one “good time in God”, consider themselves saved! It doesn’t matter what they have done during the week, or what they have said during the week, or who they have hurt/offended/disrespected/etc. during the week, once they walk into church and pay their pittance to God for 90 minutes, they feel they are entitled to be a part of that group that, if they were to die, would go to heaven. Doesn’t anybody, especially those claiming to serve God and know the truth, believe there is a plan to salvation? I liken it to school. Here is my analogy.
If I go to school, kindergarten through 12th grade, and claim to be a student, can I just go to school everyday without anything being required of me? Can I just go and sit in the classroom and enjoy the interesting parts the teacher talks about and interact during the fun activities in class and reject the rest? Can I opt out of tests, and projects, and presentations and writing papers? I think not! Yes, it would be a normal statement for somebody to say: if you go to school for 13 years you will, not only learn, but get a diploma. Just like the scripture says, if you believe on me, you will be saved. However neither of the above statements are stand alone statements. The truth of the matter is, you can’t just go to school and learn and get a diploma without following the academic plan laid out for you grade by grade, in order for you to accomplish the goal of graduating and receiving a diploma! Same holds true for salvation. How is it so many believe all you have to do is attend church on Sunday and heaven is automatically your home! Seriously? Yes, many believe, but that is all they do, just sit and believe. They don’t participate in the plan a true believer must complete to inherit the Kingdom!
Just like there is a plan to any natural thing that offers some sort of reward at the end of the course/journey, same is true with heaven! There is a definite plan of salvation, just like with school there is a definite academic plan. Spiritually, at the end of the plan, heaven is the reward! In school at the end, graduation and a diploma are the rewards!
It doesn’t matter how “good” we think a person is, accomplishments are not achieved by being ‘good”. In school you could be the most well behaved, well manner, helpful, courteous, team-playing student but…if you don’t fulfill the academic requirements set by the administration, all those “good” qualities will fail without completion of 13 years of homework, tests, papers, projects, etc. “Good” will not get you a diploma nor will it get you to heaven. You could be an exemplary person and have great qualities and morals and scruples. You may not hurt a fly, but until and unless the plan of salvation set before us by God is fulfilled, you won’t gain the reward at the end of the journey! Because you are so “good”, sticking with his plan might not be as challenging for you as for the one that doesn’t possess the “good” qualities and traits, just like in school. You may be born the brainiest and school might come easier to you than the next guy, however, the same curriculum is still required of you both. One may have to work harder but in the end, the reward is the same. You both are allowed to graduate and take the diploma. The only stipulation is you complete each and every unit of work that is required. One may have done it with straight As while another may have done it with all Cs and yet another with a combination of As, Bs and Cs.
Some Christians may come to God with an exemplary life of well doings and good deeds while some may come with a closet full of skeletons. Some may come with addictions, and felonies and demons battling them daily, but I tell you, His plan will work for us all! It is designed for the lost/the sinner! And we are all sinners! Some saved by grace and some about to be saved! No matter how deep in sin you are or how close you are to already fulfilling God’s plan of salvation, we all have to embrace it to be eligible for the Kingdom/heaven!!!
Thankfully God loves us all and is extending His hand and His plan of salvation to each and every one of us! I know me and you know you. Attending church for 90 minutes 2, 3 or even 4 Sundays a month ain’t gonna cut it! We know our dirt. We know our inner demonic nature. We know we are all but one thought away, one action away, one desire away from needing a full blown laying on of hands and 2 hour altar experience! We know the only way we will ever become subject to a life of spiritual holiness is to become doers of the plan!
My only challenge for you today is: the next time somebody asks you where someone went when they died or the next time your lips are set to automatically put someone in heaven, think about it, do you know for sure they followed the curriculum laid out for all mankind by Christ? Before you put your sweet Grandmamma in heaven (as much as we love them) ask yourself, was she at the Kingdom graduation and did she receive her spiritual diploma or was Grandmamma like the teacher’s pet who slid through life smiling, and being friends with everyone without ever completing the core requirements, passing one test/trial or accomplishing any of the crucial steps toward heaven/graduation?
Maybe my analogy wasn’t a good one and you didn’t understand what I was saying, let me just clarify and say; bottom line; heaven entrance is contingent on working the plan, adhering to the plan and completing the plan God set before us! There is no other way to get in! Period…
Holla back
I’m not in the business of limiting God and all His power and Agape Love. Faith in God is all we need. Did the criminal on the cross next to Jesus fulfill all the criteria for salvation that you explained? He simply acknowledged who Christ was and had faith in Him. I believe he had at least the faith of a mustard seed. In fact our Faith is our righteousness.
Kathy,
We ALL need to send you YOUR love offering for that message or either that should be the first part of your first book!!!! That message is one needed by the whole world and makes soooo much sense that even a child wil understand what you said. There is so much Bible to back up what you wrote but the thing is….so many people want to barely make it thru and not put forth any effort to see if they can “just make it in” and not really do any kingdom work but that’s not what we are suppose to be doing. We all need to do better! I don’t know the answer to the question posed by Ronald, but I can say that I wouldn’t want to take a chance of waiting until I’m on a cross to claim my salvation.
Exactly! I started a comment yesterday while I was in Richmond, IN and lost it (yes, it happens to me too!) but Ronnie, I will respond to you.
The reason I’m not in the business of judging folks on rather I believe their salvation is intact or they’re going straight to eternal damnation is because the behavior of someone might appear wrong from our eyes but from God’s eyes they have enough faith to be righteous. We could be wrong in determining who is saved and who isn’t. Ie, A pastor who is well respected in his/her community, attends and conducts service every Sunday. Takes care of his/her family has been married to his/her spouse for 25 years. This pastor’s character from the eyes of the congregation could be seen as wonderful, God fearing, anointed, and spirit filled while all along that pastor had been having an affair and committing adultery on the down low. Or a homeless drunk on the street, whom doesn’t even attend a church has more faith in God than all the congregations in his city. He prays everyday, has accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, ask for foregiveness on a daily basis and believes that God one day will mend his family back together as well as heal his addiction to alcohol. The homeless man’s heart is right with Jesus and he operates everyday out of a repentant heart. Some of us Christians take our salvation for granted but those that struggle on a daily basis don’t. Who are we to be the judge on who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? My grandfather on his dieing bed admitted to all his wrongs and apologized to those he had hurt. He accepted Christ on his last breath. I believe that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and you repent your sins, than you are saved. It’s our Faith that determines our righteousness not our works.
Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through [observing the commands of] the Law but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 10:6
But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;
Philippians 3:9
And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.
Ronnie, you just said exatly what I was saying! What you have admitted here is, your grandfather followed the plan! You and I might not agree on all the steps of the plan but, from what you have said here, you too believe there is a plan that must be followed. Notice I didn’t outline the plan, I just spoke of the plan? I know we as Christians will disagree on the actual steps of God’s plan according to our own revelations, and although I do have strong and concrete beliefs about the steps of the plan, I left that part alone and just focused on the fact that church attendance alone isn’t going to get you to heaven nor will just thinking God is good!
Feel me?
…and Ronnie, (from my original post) His plan will work for us all! It is designed for the lost/the sinner! And we are all sinners! Some saved by grace and some about to be saved! No matter how deep in sin you are or how close you are to already fulfilling God’s plan of salvation, we all have to embrace it to be eligible for the Kingdom/heaven!!!
NOTICE I always say we and throw me in with it? Why is it that any time someone doesn’t like what someone else is saying regarding Christianity, we are said to be judging? lol. I have always consider that a cop out.
Let me again refer back to my original post, if you knew someone that went to school and didn’t fulfill ANY of the requirements, would you readily say the were going to graduate? So why do we put people in heaven or hell when they die? We don’t know what their relationship was with God.
Amen sista!!!! I feel ya!
@Kathy -
I understand point well taken Kathy.@Kathy -
@Ronald Deane – Ronnie Deane, you feel me and you understand? We finally agree on something???
Wow! This one blew me away. I have but one question for you. What motivated you to write this article and in your own words, what is the master plan to get to heaven? It appears you have a wealth of knowledge on this subject…okay, it was two questions!
For the most part I agreed with you…I’m just really surprised that’s all, I mean really surprised to hear this coming from you of all people. Really, you blew me away!
You said that well! God bless you!!