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Is Heaven For Everyone?

Matthew 7:13-14

I am currently involved in a series of messages entitled Hope Beyond the Grave which I began on Easter Sunday. In this series we are examining what the Bible teaches about life beyond the grave and so far we have explored the following topics:

· Is There Life After Death?

· What Happens One Second After Death?

· Extreme Body Makeover

Today, our subject is in the form of another question: “Is Heaven for Everybody?” Or another way of asking the question is this, “Who will be at home in heaven? Is heaven the kind of place where everyone eventually ends up? Or, would some people feel completely uncomfortable in the presence of God in the afterlife? Who will fit in heaven? Is heaven for everyone? Will every human who has ever lived end up in heaven in the afterlife?” 

That is the topic that will demand our attention today as we continue to explore what the Bible teaches about the afterlife. My plan for developing this theme is to ask and answer several critical questions. 

Question #1: “Will Everyone Be In Heaven?” 

We start with this question; “Will everyone ultimately end up in heaven?” 

This question is heavy but relatively simple to answer, especially if you take the words of Jesus seriously. He described the gate leading to life as narrow and declared “few find it.” There is your answer. Not everyone will be in heaven, in fact, not even a majority. Jesus said, “a few”. 

Yet, according to the beliefs of the majority of people in our culture, Jesus is wrong! The belief that everyone will ultimately be in heaven is what theologians call UNIVERSALISM. During February of this year, we dedicated several Sunday evenings to addressing the beliefs of people who are not like us.  I called the format, “Know What You Believe” series. We had several panel discussions and one of the panels contained members from the Unitarian Universalist Church. It was clear from their name and the discussion that they believed everyone will be heaven in the end. In their belief system no one is excluded. 

This is not a new philosophy for even the second century church leader Origen believed universalism. In fact, Origen believed that Devil himself would ultimately end up in heaven. Diverse people throughout the ages have embraced universalism, including biblical scholar William Barclay, President John Quincy Adams, author Hanah Whitall Smith, and in our own generation, popular author Robert Fulgham.

In a survey conducted by the Barna Research Group nearly 1/3 of all born-again Christians stated that all good people will go to heaven, whether they have embraced Jesus Christ or not.

While 88% in a Barna poll believe Jesus Christ was a real person, what they believe about him differs sharply from scriptural teaching. 42% (even 1/4th of the “born again” Christians) believe that while on earth Jesus sinned just like other people. 61% believe the devil is just a symbol of evil, not a living being. And 54% think that if people are good enough, they will earn a place in heaven regardless of their religious beliefs. [1]

The results of those surveys are alarming but there is another revelation even more upsetting. At a recent mission’s conference attended by thousands of evangelical students, only one third of the participants indicated their belief that “a person who does not hear the Gospel is eternally lost.” [2]

But what does the Bible teach? Does it teach universalism, the idea that everyone will end up in heaven in the end?

  
To answer the question we must examine the teachings of Jesus Christ on this issue. One decisive text is Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (NIV) 

The Message offers this reading: "Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life--to God!-is vigorous and requires total attention.”

These words of Jesus are a part of a larger context known as the Sermon on the

According to Jesus there are definitely two distinct and different paths in life that He defined as “narrow” and “wide”. One path results in destruction and the other leads to life. “Life here is eternal life, a term frequently used for the world to come.” [4]  as in the afterlife or eternity. The path that leads to destruction is described as having a wide gate and a broad path and it is an inviting and well traveled road. The broad path is a direction in life that seems normal and pleasant, it feels agreeable and accommodating. After all, how can masses of people be wrong? Yet it ends in destruction, and the word here describes "eternal destruction." [5]  

In contrast to this easy and common way, there is a narrow gate that leads to the disciplined path of following Jesus. It is the road of eternal life, a road which few people choose. This verse is the source of the commonly used phrase, "staying on the straight and narrow".  

G. Campbell Morgan offers keen insight regarding the contrast of these two different paths. One gate is narrow in the beginning but grows broader until it issues into the fullness of eternal life. In contrast, the second gate is broad in the beginning but becomes more and more straitening, “the narrowing and limitation of things”, until it results in “the imprisonment of everything.” [6]

What we find in this teaching of Jesus Christ is a clear and definite truth in the form of a warning: NOT EVERY ROAD LEADS TO HEAVEN AND NOT EVERYONE WILL CHOOSE THAT ROAD.

Jesus definitely stated that “only a few find it”, that is, the road to eternal life. It is a Biblical fact that presents an uncomfortable truth: “Not everyone is going to heaven.” In fact, more exactly, “Fewer people are going to end up in heaven than you might think.”

I am not making this stuff up! In our pluralistic society I know that such claims sound arrogant, that my way is better than someone else’s way, but it’s the clear teaching of Jesus Christ in this passage.

It is extremely popular in our culture to believe that all roads ultimately lead to heaven. A person is free to believe whatever they choose and all that matters is sincerity and good intentions. The pursuit of eternal life is often presented as climbing a mountain, with heaven at the apex. Every different religion is viewed as a unique path ascending the mountain where ultimately all pilgrims end up at the same destination. According to this view, all religions are equally valid ways of approaching God because every road leads to the top.  

If, however, this is true, then we are forced to include all religions, even cultic groups including those that adhere to beliefs and practices we find repulsive, even immoral. For example, do you honestly believe that David Koresh’s Branch of Dravidians and the UFO cult Heaven’s Gate offer equally valid ways to reach heaven?  

According to the teaching of the Bible, it is legitimate to make distinctions between truth and error when it comes to the claims of religion.  Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft says, "If all roads lead to the same place it makes no ultimate difference which road we take." [7]

Unfortunately, the spiritual beliefs of many people today end up being no more significance than ice cream flavors or favorite sports team. Religious beliefs in the climate of pluralism are strictly a matter of personal preference and are not based on any reasonable source of truth. So, the issue of truth or lack thereof, is a troublesome issue for those who believe in universalism.

There is another major problem with universalism.  

For all people to ultimately end up in heaven, God would have to force or coerce some people to be there. The Bible clearly teaches that God has given us the freedom to reject his plan, the freedom to spurn his love, the freedom to reject his offer of heaven. It was a risky move that God didn’t have to grant, freedom. In fact, he could override our freedom at truth any time, yet he’s given us this freedom to choose our path in life and eternity. So if everyone ultimately ends up in heaven, God must overpower some people’s will and force them to be there even though they’d choose not to be.

"If everyone ends up in heaven--including people who didn’t want to be there—then heaven will be just as bad as earth and the cops have job security in the hereafter." Oxford theologian Alister McGrath is exactly right when he says, "Universalism denies humanity the right to say no to God." [8]

The clear teaching of Jesus is contrary to universalism because Jesus warned that the broad road doesn’t lead to heaven at all. In fact, it leads to a much more disastrous destination. So the answer of Jesus, and therefore the answer of the Christian faith, to this first question is this, “No. Not all people will end up in heaven.”

You must make a choice! I will have more to say about that in a moment when we conclude.

Question #2: “What Is The Entrance Requirement To Heaven?”

That leads us to our second question: “What’s the entrance requirement for heaven? If entrance into heaven isn’t automatic and not everyone is going, then what’s the entrance requirement?” 

Is it like the academy awards where some committee somewhere votes on who to let in?  

The first direction we look to understand the requirements for entrance into heaven is our own MERITS. After all, every other religion of the world presents its own unique method of gaining merit for the afterlife.  Whether it’s Buddhism’s eightfold path to nirvana, Islam’s four pillars, or Hinduism’s cycle of reincarnation and karma, every major world religion presents a "do it yourself" way to gain merit for the afterlife.  

Multiply these major religions a hundredfold and you will find all kinds of cults and sectarian groups promising their own brand of merit to earn access to heaven, whether it is the Hare Krishna’s, the Moonies, Scientology, or whatever. According to a survey by Time magazine 62% of Americans think that merits play a role in determining whether we end up in heaven or not.  

Most people just want the bottom line: “Just tell me what I have to do!” Paul wrote an entire book in the Bible for people who had a problem with this issue. The book is called Galatians and it was written to some people who promoted a “To Do” list for others to fulfill. Paul informed them that redemption is not spelled “Do”; rather it is spelled “Done”. 

What about Christianity? Is there a provision for personal merits? Yes, there is and I will be clear in spelling out the requirement. There is a provision for personal merits in the structure of Christianity. Here it is. You must be perfect. When it comes to reaching heaven on your own merits the Bible presents a very challenging picture. In order to appear in the presence of a holy God you must be holy, perfectly holy! So, how many of you still think this is a good rational choice? 

The prophet Isaiah (64:6) declared "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...” (NIV)

The best we have to offer in an effort to deserve heaven is woefully inadequate. We will never make it to heaven on our own efforts. We are like Cinderella trying to get into the big dance with only our peasant’s smock. The best we have to wear won’t get us through the front gate. We are like the man in the parable about the wedding feast who found himself embarrassed because he wasn’t dressed in wedding clothes. In fact, having discovered his unprepared and shameful condition the man was speechless. (Matthew 22:1-14) Heaven requires proper attire. We need something beyond what we can provide for ourselves, we need someone to provide a heavenly garment.  

You see, for all our attempts to do the right thing, all of us have miserably failed. We are totally underdressed for heaven. This is why the Bible tells us very bluntly, "All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory" (Rom 3:23). We’ve blown it! Our sins cause us to be in a state of moral uncleanness, a condition of alienation from God, even hostility towards God. We’ve been quarantined from God’s perfect goodness and holiness, so much so that if we were in the holy presence of God in heaven in our natural condition, it would be more like hell for us.  

It was Martin Luther who said, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God.”  

So if you are attempting to make it to heaven on your own merits…Good Luck! However, most of us have concluded that our merits will never measure up.  

Once you reach that conclusion, the Bible offers a different way to find the entrance into heaven.

Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (New Living Translation)

Has anyone ever appeared before God in proper attire? Yes, but only one. The only person who appeared before God not dressed in filthy rags is Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, Jesus is qualified to die for our sins because He had no sins of His own. He was sinless. Not once did he break God’s law, not once did he fail to obey God to the full. This is hard for us to even imagine since all of us have grown so accustomed to failure and sin in our own lives, yet this is the clear claim of the Bible. This one person who stands before God dressed in righteousness became the offering for our sin. [9]

The text literally reads, "He became sin on our behalf." He disrobed Himself of His righteousness and took upon Himself your filthy rags so you could be clothed in His holiness. That, and only that, is the proper attire for heaven.  His perfect life became the sin offering for us, as predicted by the prophet Isaiah. (53:10) He willingly and voluntarily became a sin offering on the cross so we could be made right with God and gain entrance into heaven. It is a love story that far exceeds Cinderella exchanging her filthy smock for a royal gown to gain entrance into the great dance. This passage clearly claims that entrance into heaven must be gained through the merits of Christ alone.  

Since our merits are at best thoroughly inadequate, our hope of entering into heaven is dismal.  In fact, without Jesus there is NO HOPE of reaching heaven on your own efforts or following the teachings of any other religion. 

Here is the BOTTOM LINE: Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to provide us with a way to heaven through his merit. Some view Jesus as “a way to heaven.” He never claimed that. Here is His claim, “I am the way.” (John 14:6) He does not show you the way. He is the way. He does not offer you a ticket. He is the ticket. 

The New Testament describes two totally different paths to entering heaven with two diametrically opposing results. One way is the way every other world religion seeks; the way of self improvement, do-it-yourself righteousness, the way of relying on our personal merits and seeking to establish our own righteousness before God. The other way, the Jesus way, is pure undeserved grace; a gift, because it is righteousness that belongs to another, one willing to give it away. Paul contrasts these two ways in Philippians 3:9; "Now that I belong to Christ, I am right with God, and this being right does not come from following the law [my merits]. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him." (NCV)

As long as we are clinging to our filthy rags to defend ourselves before God, then we are not ready to receive the gift that Christ offers. We find ourselves tightly grasping our own merits, white knuckling our own efforts, and our hands aren’t open to receive the gift.  

We are like the little boy who reached into a vase to pull out a piece of candy.  As long as he held to the candy, his hand formed a fist that could not be removed form the vase. As long as we hold onto our filthy rags, we can’t receive the gift God offers through Christ.

This Biblical truth leads us to some good news in answering our second question: ENTRANCE INTO HEAVEN IS AN UNDESERVED GIFT THAT IS RECEIVED THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE.

This is why it is not arrogant for Christians to claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Peter Kreeft tells us, “It is sheer imperialism to insist that only one man-made road up the divine mountain is the right road and all others are wrong. But Christ does not claim to be a man who became [a way to God]...Christianity claims to be the road God [himself] made down, not the road we made up."  [10]   

Is it arrogance for one person in a burning building to show the other people the path to the fire escape? Is it arrogance for a doctor to prescribe a medication because that medication will provide healing from the disease?

No, it is not arrogance. In fact, it is Good News, something that’s exciting to share. 

So, what is the entrance requirement to enter heaven? Christ alone!

Question #3: “What About Those Who’ve Never Heard?”

One of the most difficult and often asked questions concerns people who never hear about Jesus. It is voiced like this: “What about people who have no opportunity to receive this gift? How does God treat them? How does God treat the native of a tribal group in South America that’s never heard about Jesus Christ? How does God treat those people who have never heard about Jesus Christ?”

Christians have offered creative solutions to this question down through the ages. Some have suggested that God has something called middle knowledge, that God not only knows what every person will do, but God’s knowledge also includes what every person would do in every possible set of circumstances, so based on what God knows a person would do if they had been given an opportunity to respond to Jesus Christ, God provides salvation to that person when they die.

Others have suggested that God works through creation and our inner sense of right and wrong to draw us to Christ, and that if people respond to the light that they do have, God will provide more light through a vision or a dream.

These are solutions that seem to be fair, but we must admit that the Bible no where discloses the details explaining exactly how God treats people who have never heard of Jesus Christ.  The focus of the Bible’s message is not to tell us who will be in heaven but to tell us how to get there. But with this said, let me list a few truths from the Bible that we know with certainty and that helps us respond to this difficult question.

We know that God loves everyone in the world.

Most any child can quote John 3:16; "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The universal love of God is evident for any honest reader of the Bible. God doesn’t just love religious people, or people of a certain political party or married people. God loves every person on planet earth, past, present and future, and He loves them with an unquenchable love. God’s love is not a warm fuzzy felling, but a sacrificial love that motivated God to give his one and only Son. The word "world" in the New Testament usually refers to people in this world system in its condition of hostility to God.  This refers to people at their worst, people in rebellion against God, before they respond to God’s grace, yet God loves them.  

God loves Charles Manson as much as he loves Billy Graham; he loves Saddam Hussein as much as he loves James Dobson. The heart of God is as wide as the way to live is narrow. Remember, His love is deep because He gave something He could replace! He gave his one and only son, or as the poetic KJV states it, "his only begotten son." And now, let me connect the dots between our text in Matthew 7:14 and John 3:16. God gave his only son Jesus Christ so people wouldn’t “perish”. That’s the same word that’s translated "destruction" in Matthew 7:14. So we can be sure that God loves people who have no opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ just as much as he loves each of us who have been given that opportunity.

We can also know for sure that God is fair.

Deuteronomy 32:4 declares, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

Deuteronomy 32 is a song that Moses taught the nation of Israel to sing whenever they gathered together to renew their commitment to God.  So several times a year they would gather and sing this song that affirmed the fact that God is just, His ways are just. He is also faithful, He won’t do anything morally wrong, because He is upright and trustworthy. God’s standard of justice is not lower than ours, but his character is the very source of justice. So God is fair, He doesn’t play favorites or suspend justice in his treatment of people.

We also know for sure that God desires salvation for all people.

1 Tim 2:4 reveals, "This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." (NLT)

It’s difficult for us to comprehend the idea that God can desire something that will not necessarily come to pass. After all God is God, and if he really wants everyone to be saved, can’t he just snap his fingers and make every single person a Christian?  And the answer to that hypothetical question is, “Yes. God could do that because He possesses the power to do whatever He wills.”  However, He chooses not to do that because it would violate the freedom that He grants to every person born in Adam’s race. If God interfered with our ability to say yes or no to him, then He would also have to erase his image in us and we would cease to be unique creations. We would be no more than hand-puppets with God pulling the strings. So although God’s heart is for all people to come to salvation, God will not coerce anyone against their will to receive this gift.  So we can know for sure that God desires the salvation for those who have no opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ.

And, we know that salvation comes through Christ alone.

Acts 4:12 is crystal clear in stating, “There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." (NLT) Jesus was enlightening and emphatic in His claim: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Without the sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have no choice but to rely on our own merit in order to enter heaven. So without the selfless sacrifice of Jesus, no one would end up in heaven. I know this claim sounds so exclusive, restrictive, even dogmatic, but it is the clear teaching of the New Testament, and it’s been the position of the Christian community for 2,000 years now.  

Buddha was an enlightened teacher, but his teachings cannot save people from sin. Muhammad inspired people, Moses led a nation out of slavery, Ghandi helped India find freedom through non-violent resistance, but the names of Muhammad, Moses, and Ghandi cannot be used as a pass to enter heaven.

So how can we put these clear teachings together? 

§                     God loves everyone.

§                     God is always fair.

§                     God desires salvation for all.

§                     Yet, salvation comes through Christ alone!

These truths present us with a reality check: WE CAN TRUST GOD TO BE FAIR, LOVING AND UPHOLD JUSTICE WITHOUT VIOLATING HIS HOLINESS IN EVERY DECISION HE MAKES.

However, this critical question should motivate us to seek every opportunity to share God’s good news with every people group on planet earth.  

To me there is a far greater question than. “Are people who have never heard about Jesus lost?” That question is, “Are we really saved if we don’t go and tell them?” The reality is that God doesn’t have a communication problem. We have an obedience problem!

CONCLUSION 

The fact remains that God is not obligated to admit anyone into heaven. We also know that not every road leads to heaven. Further, we have learned that entrance into heaven comes as a gift through faith in Jesus, and that we can trust God to be loving and fair in dealing with everyone.

When many people hear that they cannot get into heaven on their own efforts, it shakes them to the core of their being. They feel like they have been walking in

I have a suggestion. Sit down and ring the bell.  

For over 300 years, kings, courtiers and tourists alike have pounded the pathways of Hampton Court's world-famous trapezoidal Maze in search of what might lie at its centre. Hailed as “the greatest palace in Brittan”,[11] the gardens are renowned for many things including the world famous maze, a labyrinth path created by hedges. In the middle of the maze is a seat built for weary walkers who are confused, lost and willing to admit their lostness.  

There is also a bell located close by the rest area and by ringing the bell the lost pilgrim summons help. The person who arrives is a guide who knows the way through the perplexing corridor of hedges. All a person has to do is follow the man who knows the way. 

The path to heaven is simple. You must follow the One who is the Way. He knows the way because He knows the truth. He knows the Truth because He is the Life, the one who walked through deaths door and is still alive. 

If you want to enter heaven, ring the bell and then Follow Him!