Galatians 3:10
‘For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”’
This verse shares the reason Jesus had to go to the cross. No one is able to keep the Law perfectly. I think most would agree with that. The problem is that most see God as loving (which is true), so they think He would overlook the imperfection. We humanize Him by improper comparisons. For example, a judge wouldn’t send a person to prison for the a lifetime for a speeding ticket. Therefore we wouldn’t be eternally damned as most are good people.
Another example that demonstrates our misunderstanding is about passing a class. We all would agree that all with a C or better (actually a D) pass a class. While the lower grades aren’t reasons for boasting, it’s enough to prove satisfactory understanding.
Those that buy into those misunderstandings aren’t looking at salvation properly. Some questions should arise. The first one is why did Jesus need to die on the cross? If God were like the reasonable judge or the usual teacher, why did His son come to earth, live like a human, then suffer a horrible death?
The misunderstandings continue. Some faiths make the same mistake. They think that Jesus makes up for where we fall short. For example, while no one is perfect, most are descent people. We could say that if our lives were graded, most would get a B average on character and how we treat others. Yes, God demands perfection, so while I may have earned an 83% in life, Jesus’ death adds the missing 17% to make it a 100%. This is not true.
A mistake is made when we think there is some mysterious mix of our effort and Jesus death when it comes to our right to enter heaven. Ephesians 2:8,9 corrects this thinking, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Our efforts do matter in some areas of faith, but not when it comes to securing salvation. That is all God. To enter into a relationship with God, we need to have the right beliefs.
Here’s another question. Could having improper understanding in these areas be enough to keep us out of heaven? Unfortunately, yes. To aid in seeing why, we have to look at the legal system. That’s because there are powers out there that predate creation that have grievances against God. Matthew 25:41 says, “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'” God created hell for the devil and demons. While they are still roaming the earth, they will eventually be sent to that prison.
God needs to be completely just otherwise, all of these evil beings would demand similar treatment. For example, it God overlooks our mistakes, He must also overlook the mistakes made by all. As most would agree, this is a pandora’s box. It would get so complicated that it would no longer be considered justice. Therefore, God can’t overlook wrongs done. He needs to be consistent.
Another reason ‘good enough’ behavior can’t be allowed in heaven is because of God’s righteousness. In Isaiah 6:5 we see what happens when a human enters God’s presence, ‘Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”’ Jesus death makes us righteous.
God is patient and will aid in correcting our misunderstandings. He uses His Word, the bible, to do this. He gave it to us to show us the way. Our pastors teach us and we are to read it on our own. The Holy Spirit teaches us. In John 16:3, Jesus says, “However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.” He corrects errors and aids us in the truth.
Lord, thank You for Jesus. While we have many misunderstandings, You are patient. draw us to Yourself and give us Your wisdom.