Online Bible Study - The Promise Is to You

THE QUESTION: How good do I have to be to get to heaven?

WE BELIEVE: We can never be good enough, but Jesus covers us with His righteousness.

A STORY:
Jesus once said the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. The ones he invited refused to come. One said he was too busy with business; another said he had to attend to his family; another said he was too busy with his farm. Since the food was already prepared, the king needed guests. Then he told his servants, "Go out to the streets and alleys and bring in anyone who will come." The banquet hall was finally filled with all kinds of people--rich and poor, good and bad. (based on Matthew 22:1-12)

As we consider the people we have met, some are better than others. Some people lie and steal; others are honest and kind. We might think God likes those who are better and that He will take them to heaven. But think about the story again. When the invited guests refused to come to the wedding, they missed out, no matter how good they were or what excuses they had. Likewise, no one who refuses God's invitation to heaven in Jesus Christ will be let in. Who finally got into the wedding hall? Everyone who accepted the invitation was allowed to come, whether they had been good or bad. Likewise, all who trust in Jesus will go to heaven. How can this be? First of all, God says that no one is so perfectly good in his eyes; no one deserves to go to heaven. God doesn't just look for goodness as we see it. He looks for righteousness--a perfectly pure love in thought, word and deed.

GOD SPEAKS...
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6

Actually, the only righteous man was Jesus Christ, God the Son who was born of the Virgin Mary and came in the flesh. He was the only one who really deserved to live forever with God, to never die, and to enjoy the glory of heaven. But He did die. This is because He took our sins and died for them. In exchange, all who believe in Him get His righteousness before God, even though they are still sinners.

Jesus covers us with His perfection, so that when God looks at us, this is all He sees. This is the miracle of God's forgiveness. In the terms of the story above, God offers each of us the wedding garment of Jesus Christ, so we can stay at the wedding banquet of His Son forever.

An angel describes those in heaven, "They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14

THIS PART OF OUR LESSON ASKS:

-Have you ever discovered that a good person had a secret sin?

-Since Jesus gives you his perfect righteousness, how sure can you be that you will be accepted into heaven?

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