Day 19: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7
It invariably makes me sad when I hear a brother or sister in Christ answer the question, “Do you believe you are going to heaven?” with the words, “I hope so.” It never sounds like they’re using the word hope as the Bible uses it. It sounds like a wish, “I hope the sun will come out tomorrow.” Or it sounds like they’re saying, “I want that to be true,” or “I think that’s true, but I’m not really sure.” Biblically, “hope” is a certainty, and expectation, “ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” (Hebrews 6:19 ESV)
What would cause us to doubt Jesus’ words, “I will come again and will take you to myself?” Above all Satan and our sinful flesh whisper doubts in our ear like, “Is the Bible really true? Does God really exist? How can I be sure that Christians are right and all the other religions are wrong?” These doubts can be assuaged by studying the evidence that supports the Bible on a historical level. However, they can only be cured by continuing to receive nourishment from God’s Word and Sacraments.
The other thing we need to watch out for is a lie that has crept into the minds of believers. Ultimately, this is a lie that causes us to doubt whether or not we are actually saved. The lie is this” “If I do the right thing — obey God, go to church, pray, and give enough in the offering plate — God will give me blessings. My life will be easier. My family will be well.” I’m sure you can see the problem with this kind of thinking. What happens when my life is not going well? When tragedy strikes? I must not be good enough. Or God is not good enough. This is too hard. Why should I even bother?
This is not quite how God works. Yes, there are blessings that come when we obey God. God told Noah to build the ark. Noah built it. Eight people and numerous animals survived because he obeyed. God told Moses to lead His people out of slavery. Moses grudgingly obeyed and the Israelites made it to the Promised Land. Obedience to the 4th and 8th commandments will earn you respect. Obedience to the 5th commandment keeps you out of prison. Obedience to the 6th commandment leads to a stronger marriage. And so on.
However, when the Bible says things like,
Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; (Isaiah 48:19)
or
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed. (Psalm 112:1-2)
We see that God’s justice demands obedience in exchange for blessing. Yet God is also gracious and merciful. Jesus met God’s demand for obedience. He is the righteous one who kept all of God’s commands. He did that for us. All of the blessings that God links to obedience, Jesus earned them for us. In baptism Jesus’ righteousness became our righteousness. Therefore, everything that needs to be done in order for us to receive God’s blessings, including life in heaven, has already been done.
Now obedience to God is not something we do in order to earn His favor. We obey God because He has already blessed us. He doesn’t necessarily give us all of the blessings we want. However, He always gives us the blessings we need and more. “In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) The person who possesses faith as small as a mustard and confesses the Christmas message, “Jesus, the Son of God, took on flesh to die and rise to save me from my sin,” can also confidently trust that someday he or she will see the face of God.
Bible Readings: Romans 5, Galatians 2:15-21and 3:23-29 Ephesians 1:3-13, Philippians 3:4-11
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