THE STATUS OF THE QUO

Someone defined "status quo" as, "The mess we is in." That sounds like a more apropos definition than its literal meaning (from the Latin, meaning, "state in which").

ENTER THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The prestigious Pew Research Center not only researches America's attitudes toward politicians in and out of office, but also America's beliefs about spiritual matters. A couple of their recent findings of the status quo is disturbing.

HEAVEN AND HELL

In a recent study, the Pew Research Center found that 72% of us in the U. S. of A. believe in heaven and 58% of us believe in hell as literal places. OK, what's so disturbing about that? What's so disturbing is the definitions of both. The 72% who believe in heaven define it as a place “where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded.”

Hold on, Francis, it gets worse.

The Pew Group found that "The existence of heaven [with that definition] is almost universally accepted by Mormons (95%) and members of historically black Protestant denominations (93%), as well as by about eight-in-ten or more [of] evangelical Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox Christians and mainline Protestants."

We would expect such a skewed definition from the Mormons and from Roman Catholics, but from "93% of black Protestant denominations, as well as by about eight-in-ten or more [of] evangelical Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and mainline Protestants"? That's dismal.

THE BIBLE SAYS 

The Bible is clear that heaven isn't earned by good behavior: John 3:16, the most famous, most memorized, and most quoted sentence in the Bible says so: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." There's no mention in that famous sentence of "leading a good life."

 Pair that well-known sentence with another statement from the Bible's pages: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not of works so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Here it specifically says that heaven's entrance is not based on "leading a good life," that's by works.

Has no one read the book of Romans? "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law." "Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law . . . righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."

Has no one read the Gospel of John, where, not once, not twice, but 99 times (!) eternal life in heaven is conditioned on faith alone in Christ alone? Has no one read the last promise of the Bible: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the FREE gift of the water of eternal life"? Has no one read or heard that Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh who died for their sins, rose from the dead and GIVES eternal life in heaven to everyone who trusts Him for it? Has no one read heaven is a free gift to those who trust Christ?

I belabor the point that heaven is a free gift conditioned only upon faith alone in Christ alone, without cost to us (a "gift" is free, isn't it), but isn't such belaboring what's needed in view of those percentages?

NOW, HOW ABOUT THIS?

One might be encouraged to have read that 58% of Americans believe in a literal hell, but, again, hold on, Francis. The question is, "How did the 58% define "hell?" Read on.

From the Pew Research Center: "58% of U.S. adults believe in hell — a place 'where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished.'” If such a definition isn't an example of Satan's snatching the gospel away from people (Luke 8:12), I don't know what is.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

There are three impossible things, yea, four: to strike a match on a wet cake of soap; to put toothpaste back in the tube, to kill the idea that bad people go to hell, and to kill the idea that "repentance" means "to feel sorry for your sins." The idea that "repentance" means "to feel sorry for sin" is as ingrained in Americans as is the idea that bad people go to hell.

But repentance means "a change of mind," as seen in Matthew 21:29: "I will not," he answered, but later changed his mind (the Greek word for "repent") and went." In a salvational context, "repent" means to change one's mind about his own abilities to save himself, to change his mind about who Christ is (not merely a good man or a good teacher), but the Son of God who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and gives eternal life freely to anyone who trusts Him for it).

Why do people go to hell? Not because they are "bad" and didn't say, "I'm sorry I'm bad," (Matthew 7:21-23), but because, ultimately, they did not trust Christ alone as their Savior (John 3:36). Bad people, good people, sincere people, and religious people will go to hell if they trust in their works and their good, and even if they say, "I'm sorry." The issue is Christ and Him crucified. The issue is the Son of God.

SO WHAT?

It takes backbone to go out into the world, and sometimes into a church and talk about what we've been discussing today. That's why the Apostles taught to pray the early church to pray for boldness.

That's what we need, boldness. Why? Because of the status of the quo.