Heaven Is Just Too Expensive

Do you ever wonder what defines that true difference between Christianity and other religions?  It all comes down to the cost for getting into heaven.  Jesus taught us that there is no currency valuable enough for a single person to buy his way into heaven.  In other words, if you are a sinner (and we all are) there is absolutely nothing that *you* can do to save yourself.  And that concept is absolutely infuriating to the secular world.  It seems that so many of us humans need to believe that the power of redemption is in our hands.  With our "eternal fate" being within our power to decide, there is no need to ever admit failure or humble oneself, completely absent of pride.  

Humans are so proud that we all want to believe that we can be the architects of our own salvation.  Aside from Christianity, every other major faith including Islam and Catholicism teaches that we can "earn" salvation through our own works.  In just the United States alone there over a dozen famous faces that we can view on television each Sunday that tell us the power of God (hence Jesus) is in our own hands. If you listen close enough to what people say when they are talking about their faith you will be able to tell what they believe.

See, the whole teaching of Jesus and his disciples that followed was about the cost of sin and the power of redemption.  There is no such thing as a little sin or a big sin.  Committing just one sin, no matter the size, carries with it the stiffest of penalties - death and the eternal separation from God.  It's so hard to accept this truth because it is so monumentally unfair.  After all, just one teeny little sin carries the ultimate in harsh penalties.  And there is no redemption; no do-over.  This flies in the face of the human sense of justice because the punishment seems so disproportionate. Our whole concept of criminal justice is that the goal is rehabilitation, not death.

But God is more fair and just than we could ever imagine.  He gave us a way out even though the rules were clear and we all fell short. "Not one is righteous, not even one" Romans 3:10 and "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

He sent Jesus to die for us taking our sins to the grave.  He made sure that we had a way out our self-created mess so that we could be "rehabilitated" instead of dying.  There is just one small catch - nothing for some and insurmountable for others.  In order to receive this gift each person has to admit there is nothing they can personally do to save his or herself.  Each person has to admit that they have fallen short and NEED Jesus to save them. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

It is for this reason that so many people hate Jesus and despise his followers.  Within the hearts of these people lays a pride and defiance so deep that they would rather face an eternity of torment than admit they are fallen.  How DARE someone claim that they are imperfect and need external redemption or face death?  It is so easy for them to sneer and laugh about the “fairytale” of Christ!

They will turn to science to claim that God doesn't exist (and thus there is no judgment) or religions that tell them that they hold the power of God inside themselves.  If only they do enough good works, enough rituals, or learn enough lore they can achieve redemption.  Yet all these rituals, practices, religions, and whatnot fall short on the most key element of salvation.  They don’t tell a person exactly how – step by step – to make it to heaven.  All these practices hint at what to do but none of them offer precise instructions that can be followed by anyone.  And that’s the key – when it comes to salvation people need an exact formula.  Only Jesus provided a way that any person can follow.

Think about the simplicity and pure genius of this solution. Only a perfectly just AND perfectly merciful God could have come up with a way of getting around hard and fast rules (which exist because he's perfectly just) and providing a path for everyone (because he's perfectly merciful.) 

His solution works for EVERYONE, regardless of race, gender, ability, intelligence, or origin, because it doesn't depend on us, but on HIM. 

When it comes to buying your way into heaven with works and rituals, you’ll find that it’s just too expensive.  That’s why only the free gift offered by heaven is worth anything. 

Like all gifts, though, it has to be accepted, and that's the rub. 

More on this soon, and on why that's SO HARD, and why it's also the only believable and logical answer.