The Heaven-Earth expanse. How can our fractured, earth-driven souls be guaranteed an eternity with God in His holy place? God made the Way. But accepting that way is up to you.
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READING TIME: 4 MINUTES.
Worldview insists that there are many ways to reach God and enter heaven—and that God is whatever He means to you. Don’t fall for that. There’s no “harmonizing” of various religious ways or bundling it all under global religio-culturalism.
One World Religion and a whatever-you-do-is-cool spirituality are LIES from the master deceiver—satan—and a deceptive, self-desired-focus human soul.
God is clear in His instruction manual—the Bible—about who He is . . . and who we are. And what He requires for worship and salvation. Understanding that is the critical first step before you’re able to walk on His one-way road to heaven.
So let’s start our path toward those ABCs of Salvation by setting worldview aside and getting down to some straight facts about who God is—a quick 4-1-1—according to what He says about Himself in His Word, the Bible. Then we’ll take a look at how we stack up to who He is.
#1. HIS NAME IS HIS CHARACTER
The Great I AM. El Elyon, the Most High.
Faithful. Justice. Righteous. Truth.
Ha Kadosh, the Holy One.
Perfect. Steadfast. Mercy. Grace.
A Strong Tower. El Shaddai, the Almighty God.
El Gibbor, the Powerful Warrior, Hero, Mighty Champion.
Adonai, the LORD, Master.
Adonei ha’adonim, the LORD of lords.
The Living God, King of Kings, our Judge, the Rock.
He alone is God. There is none like Him.
Haggo’el, the Redeemer. Sar Shalom, Prince/Ruler of Peace.
There is no salvation apart from Him.
He knows all things and declares the end from the beginning.
His decisions stand, His rule is forever.
#2. THERE ARE NONE LIKE HIM
(more scriptures at end of post)
I AM the LORD, and there is no one else.
I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land . . .
I, the LORD, speak righteousness,
Declaring things that are right . . .
There is no other GOD besides Me,
A righteous GOD and a SAVIOR,
There is none except Me.
Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
—Isaiah 45: 18b, 19, 21b, 22
But the LORD is the true GOD;
he is the living GOD and the everlasting King.
—Jeremiah 10:10a
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
—Isaiah 40:28
You are my Lord,
apart from you I have no good thing.”
—Psalm 16:1
HOW DO WE STACK UP?
Ever since the Garden of Eden, humanity has shown its propensity for rebellion against God—choosing our selfish desires over His ways and falling for satan’s trickery.
Here are just a few (of many) scriptures revealing humanity’s soul condition. These are from both sides of the Judaic-Messianic bridge.
For there isn’t one righteous person on earth
who does [only] good and does not sin.
—Ecclesiastes 7:20 (CJB)
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
They have all turned aside, together they are corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.
—Psalm 14:2-3 (NASB)
The imaginings [inclinations] of a person’s heart are evil from his youth.
—Genesis 8:21b (CJB)
True, I was born guilty
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
—Psalm 51:7 [5] (CJB)
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the Lord (ESV).
—Romans 3:23
OUR SINS SEPARATE US FROM HIM
Adonai’s arm is not too short to save,
nor His ear too dull to hear,
rather it’s your own crimes [sins]
that separate you from God.
—Isaiah 59:1
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me and justified in passing sentence . . .
Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my crimes.
—Psalm 51:6,11 (4,9)
THE HUMAN HEART LIES TO OUR SOUL
The heart is deceitfully wicked,
who can know it?
I, Adonai, search the heart.
I test inner motivations in order to give to everyone
what his actions and conduct deserve.
—Jeremiah 17:9-10
If we claim not to have sin,
we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
—1 John 1:8
HUMAN GOOD FALLS SHORT
All of our righteousness
are like menstrual rags [filthy],
misdeeds blown in the wind.
—Isaiah 64:5 [6] (CJB)
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is
as guilty
as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
—James 2:10
Yep, that’s us: we all break His Law every day . . . one way or another, at any given moment. In thoughts, words, actions. And it’s by those thoughts, words, actions that we’ll be judged.
HOPE UP AHEAD
With that reality check, how can any of us bridge the relationship gap with a holy God? We’re only human, right?
READ THE ANSWER in Part 2. ABC ROADMAP TO HEAVEN: FIRST, THE REAL JESUS.
* * * * *
MORE REVEALS ABOUT GOD’S CHARACTER
The Bible is filled from page one to its last page with truths about God’s character and our fractured state. The scriptures below are but a few more revealing His majesty and power.
For I am GOD, and there is no other;
I am GOD, and there is no one like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.”
—Isaiah 46:9-10
There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
—2 Samuel 2:2
The LORD passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed,
“The LORD, the LORD, a GOD merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
but who will by no means clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children
and the children’s children,
to the third and the fourth generation.”
—Exodus 34:6-7
For I will proclaim the name of ADONAI.
Come, declare the greatness of our GOD!
The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A GOD of faithfulness who does no wrong,
he is justice and righteous.
—Deuteronomy 32:3-4
For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
—Isaiah 55:8-9
PHOTO CREDITS:
Lit cobblestone photo by Ray Fragapane on Unsplash.com
Person in red photo by Elia Pellegrini on Unsplash.com
