Cabins in heaven aren’t earned
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9–ESV)
Here are those two iconic verses Christianity has at its God-given core. Paul really is summarizing his preceding statements driving his point home: You don’t get to heaven by being good! You get into God’s kingdom by accepting his payment for your unpayable debts. We do have to accept the gift and that is done by faith.
Let’s tell a story
Perhaps, it is a bit like sitting, waiting at a conference table in a lawyer’s office. This lawyer officiates the transactions between God and humanity, and after a while, he walks in with some documents. After some small talk that pleasantly puts you at ease, he spins the documents toward you and begins to explain them.
There are many pages, but most of them seem to be a list of things done. As it turns out the list is only things you would rather forget. In fact, a lot of them you find you have forgotten. Finally, you begin to shuffle quickly those the pages of problems to get toward the end and there are pages with blank lines on them. “What are the blank lines for?” you ask the lawyer.
“Oh, yeah, I get a lot of questions about those. They are for things you have not done yet.”
“So,” you begin, “what kind of a document is this where things can be added above my signature.”
“God considers this document a bit of a living one. It is somehow connected to your being alive. I think that it gets filled in as you live.” The lawyer keeps his cool, but your anger begins to bubble a bit and those bubbles start to form up arguments.
Seeing you challenged by this odd contract the lawyer calmly interjects, “just read the last page.” On that last page are two small paragraphs with a blank underline to their left for some initials. Paragraph 1 states that we will be putting up our soul for this debt. Paragraph 2 states that Jesus will be putting up his life for it.
You continue to find yourself a taken aback by this contract for your initials are prefilled by paragraph 1. “I didn’t put those initials there,” you think. “What kind of a lawyer is this, anyway, filling in my paperwork for me?” Bowing up a little bit and interjecting a challenge to the lawyer you ask about it. He replied, “These always came out of the printer that way. I used to try to delete them and reprint it, but even if it is blank when I prepare the document it prints with the person’s initials. Just make sure you read the fine print on that last page and decide what you want to do.”
Looking at it you find the fine print the lawyer mentioned. It was at the end of the paragraph indicating Jesus as the one who will be paying the debt. “Upon initialing next to Jesus’ name the initials by your own will be cleared.” You look up at the lawyer after reading this, but having nothing to add he merely sits there in his formality awaiting your response. Eventually you initial by Christ’s name, and sure enough as the strokes of your initials go down by his they disappear by yours.
Finding it a little anticlimactic you look up at the lawyer and then back down at the document and ask, “What if I try and initial by my name now?” Barely pausing you continue your thought with, “Would the initials by Christ’s name disappear?”
He just smiled a bit, and said, “it won’t work.”
“What do you mean it won’t work?”
“The funny thing is, this document starts off with your initials, but once you change them it sticks. God does not take back gifts once he gives them and we take them. Anyway,” he says while standing, “welcome to the kingdom. I have to run along to the next appointment. Great to have you among us.”
Initialing on the line is all you and I get to do. That is what is meant Ephesians 2:8. Salvation is God’s gift nothing more. We get a role, but it is quite minor. Thankfully, small acts of faith make great reactions in the heavenly realms.
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